A Time For Miracles
by WritePassion
Summary: Sam and his family experience danger and tragedy, and through it all, miracles abound.  Final chapters have been added.
1. Chapter 1

**A Time For Miracles**

By WritePassion

Sam drove a nail into the wooden stud, ignoring the pain, releasing some of the pent-up emotion from the past several days. He and Samuel had been making good progress on the addition to his house with the help of Mike, Fiona, and Jesse, as well as his neighbor Tom. But now his father lay unconscious, his life in the balance, in the ICU. Sam was supposed to be resting, taking it easy on the arm where he sustained a nasty stab wound, but sitting around doing nothing, helpless, would have driven him insane.

_I never should have suggested giving him a ride to the bank. _

_ "I'll go with you, Dad. I've got a check to cash." To Michael, he said, "We'll be back in five, ten minutes. If it takes any longer, send in the Westen cavalry." He winked and turned from the car. Samuel entered the bank and he hurried to catch up._

Sam hammered another nail despite the sharp sting. He glanced at his bicep and noted a small stain forming on the bandages. He knew he'd ripped out a few stitches, but he didn't care. He didn't have the right to care, because his actions nearly cost his father his life.

_ As they stood in line, they saw two men dressed in jackets, when everyone else wore short sleeves, glancing around nervously, their eyes shaded by dark sunglasses. Another man came from a side entrance wearing a long coat. _

_ "Uh, oh. This wasn't how I planned on spending my afternoon," Samuel muttered._

_ "Me neither, Dad. Me neither."_

_ "Everybody listen up! Drop to the floor now, and toss your cell phones into the center of the floor. Right there!" The man in the coat pointed to an area not far from the patrons in line. One by one, cell phones slid across the terrazzo floor, clicking against each other as they came to a stop. _

_ "Anybody got bluetooth, I want to see your devices in that pile, right now!" A few earpieces flew through the air and landed atop the phones. "Good, nice to work with such a compliant bunch of people. You're going to make this a whole lot easier on yourselves. Trust me. Now, everyone just get on the floor and no talking, and we'll get our money and be on our way." He stuck the shotgun into the side of the guard and pushed him toward the center of the bank. "I want you to collect the money from these good people in line. Meanwhile, my associates will be asking you ladies to_ _empty out your tills."_

_ "Son, we should do something," Samuel whispered. _

_ "No. Just let them do what they're going to do."_

_ "But you're armed, aren't you?"_

_ "What makes you think I always carry?"_

_ "Hey! No talking in line!" The butt of the leader's shotgun came down and cracked against Sam's skull, knocking him to his knees. He was helpless to stop what happened next. Samuel launched himself at the leader, got him into a chokehold, and took him down to the floor._

Taking a break to grab some water, Sam tried to tune out the memory, but day and night it came back at the worst times, reminding him of his ineptitude.

_ Voices shouted all around as the robber's accomplices came to their leader's defense. Sam recovered and sprung to his feet. His hands curled around the shotgun and he brought it up, just as the sound of gunfire rang through the bank. Sam aimed the gun in the direction from where the shot came._

_ The smoke rose and he was face to face with the two accomplices. "Well, looks like things didn't exactly go as planned for you guys. Drop the weapons, now."_

_ "No, I think you better drop it, mister."_

_ Sam felt the barrel of a revolver sticking into his side, and he turned to find the pudgy guard standing beside him. He uncocked the shotgun and bent over to place it on the floor, and as he did, he saw his father lying on the floor in a pool of blood. From where he stood, Sam couldn't see where he'd been shot, but judging by the volume, it wasn't good. In a moment, he thought of everything he was about to lose, and anger rose up in him. The end of the gun touched the floor. He glanced at the accomplices who went back to collecting from the tellers as if nothing had happened. Now was his chance, if there ever was one. He swung the back end of the gun up and straight into the fake security guard's ample belly, and a heavy whoosh of air came out of him as he staggered back a step. The guard fired at Sam, but his shot went wild and shattered the bank window._

_ "Enough! Drop those guns now, kick them over here, and get down on the floor with your boss. You too, porky!" Sam grabbed his arm and pushed him over to where the leader lay on the floor._

_ The robbers, seeing the police support outside, decided it was best to give up. They dropped their guns, kicked them over to Sam, and made their move toward the floor._

_ "Good job, guys. On your knees, cross your ankles, and put your hands on your heads, lacing your fingers."_

He shook his head, wondering if there was anything he could have done to prevent what happened. If he'd just restrained his father, maybe he wouldn't have had to hear those damning words.

_"It doesn't look good."_

For nearly a week those words were banging around in his head. Even after the doctors said Samuel was making progress, they still didn't believe he would make it. But there were others who had faith. Tom and Pam. Every day they let him know they were praying, and they came by to help in whatever way they could. Some of the ladies from church prepared meals so that Yvette could share vigil time at the hospital. They provided babysitting services for free. And some of the men from the church with a talent for construction came to the house and helped with the addition.

Sam gasped as the hammer was taken out of his hand before he could take another whack and he whirled around to find Michael standing before him. "Mike, what are you doing here?"

"Looks like I'm saving you from yourself." He pointed to Sam's arm with the hammer head. "You're bleeding. I bet you ripped out some of those stitches."

"What's a little scar? This is more important." He wrenched the hammer from Mike's hand. _Getting stabbed by one of the robbers was too small a penance for what I did, or failed to do._

Michael reclaimed the hammer and tucked it behind his back as he held up his other hand. "Let me take care of this. You go inside, check on that wound, and then go to the hospital." Michael smiled. "Your dad woke up just before I got here. Fi called me."

"Why didn't she call me?"

He cocked his head. "Where's your cell phone?"

He suddenly remembered where he left it. "Oh crap, I forgot. I lost it in the bank robbery."

"And you've been too caught up to replace it. No problem. Just go on, I'll work with Jack and Sasha."

"Hey, what's up? You goldbrickin', Axeman?" Jack hung out the open window and Sasha looked down from where she was shingling the roof.

"My dad woke up, Jack." Sam's voice cracked with emotion. "I'm going to the hospital."

"Good deal. We'll just keep on working. I'm almost done with the wiring, just in time for inspection, so tomorrow we can hang the rock."

"Sounds good. I appreciate all your help, Jack." He was grateful to his old SEAL buddy for creating the plans to build this addition. When he arrived with his wife in tow to help build it, at a time he felt he deserved it the least, his friends were there to support him, and it helped him realize that no one condemned him but himself.

"It's the least I can do. I owe you, Axeman. You saved my life once...or twice." Jack grinned and retreated from the window.

"I'll be back soon, Mike."

Michael grinned. "No you won't, but that's okay. We've got things covered here."

The car couldn't get Sam to the hospital fast enough. When he stormed into the lobby he got a few odd looks, and it was then that he realized he never redressed his wound. But that wasn't important. He approached the reception desk and the woman who looked up at him gaped. "Sir, Emergency is that way."

"Never mind that. I'm looking for my dad, Samuel Axe."

She glanced at her computer and tapped a few keys. "Yes, he's on the third floor, room 320."

"Thanks."

"You should really get that arm looked at, sir."

"I will. Later." He found the elevator and rode it to the third floor. In the reflection of the polished stainless steel wall, he saw the red stain wrecking another one of his shirts. His father's welfare was a lot more important and far less replaceable than a piece of clothing.

He entered the hospital room enough to see that Samuel was conscious. Maddie held onto him tightly and he caressed her cheek and spoke softly to her. Before he could reach his bedside, however, Yvette came forward and held Sam back.

"Eve..."

"He's going to be okay, Sam." Her face beamed as she whispered, "I believed, Sam. I believed in a miracle, and it happened."

He took her into his arms and held her close, the tension in his body releasing with each breath. "Thank God. I didn't know what to expect when Michael said Fi called and said he was awake."

"He's got a long way to go, but he's still with us. We might have to push the wedding back a little, unless..."

"As long as it's a wedding and not a funeral." Sam chuckled and kissed her cheek. Then he released her and entered the room. "Dad?"

Maddie stepped back so father and son could see each other better. She wore a grin that was brighter than the Miami sun. "Look who's here, honey. It's Sam!"

"Hey Dad, how are you?"

"I'm fine." Samuel replied in a weak but forceful voice as he reached out and took his son's hand. "Son, that's the last time I go with you to the bank!"

Sam laughed nervously. "Hey, Mike drove us. He attracts bad guys like bacon attracts flies."

"You're right about that." When he saw the guilty look in his son's eyes, Samuel knew that he blamed himself for what happened. "Seriously, though, it wasn't anybody's fault. It just happened." Silence fell in the room, so to defuse the situation, he brightened up and asked, "When are they gonna let me out of here?"

"Patience, Dad. You just woke up, for crying out loud!" He blinked. "And we're glad of that. Let's just take this one step at a time, and you'll be home before you know it."

"That's right. Home." He squeezed Sam's hand and closed his eyes. "We've got to talk about that, Sammy. Later. I'm beat."

"That's okay, Dad. You just rest."

When Maddie was certain he was out, she stepped away from the bed, and her hand curled around Sam's good bicep as she pulled him toward the door. "Sam, I need to talk to you about something."

"What? What is it, Maddie?"

"Oh, nothing serious," she replied with a grin. She stopped in the hall, patted his arm and stood back a step. "It's just that, when Samuel is ready to go home, I, I mean we, want him to come home with me."

Sam's eyebrow rose. "Maddie..."

"Don't worry, Michael is okay with it. I've already talked to him. We're ditching the whole pomp and ceremony, and we're just going to get married. Here if necessary."

"Are you sure about this?" Sam glanced at Yvette, and he noted the look on her face. She already knew, and she didn't tell him. "You're all in this together, huh?"

"Well, Michael didn't know about it until just before he left the hospital. Yvette, Fiona and I talked about it, and then I ran it by Samuel shortly after he woke up, and..."

"Maddie, he was just waking up and you took advantage of him?"

She scowled at Sam. "No, I did not! He was completely in his right mind, and when I brought it up, he was quite pleased with the idea. If you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself!"

Sam sighed and looked up at the ceiling. When his eyes came down and met Maddie's, he said, "I shouldn't have said that. I know you love him and that you'd never...I'm sorry."

Maddie nodded as her anger dissipated. "It's okay, Sam. You've been under a lot of pressure lately. I understand you've been driving yourself nearly to exhaustion between visiting your dad and working on the house." She smiled. "But do you see how much sense this makes? If your dad and I get married, then he can come home with me and you don't have to rush on finishing the addition."

"You're a smart lady, Maddie. Excuse me if I'm a little selfish. I'm going to miss having my dad around the house."

"We'll be sure to come around often enough. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Maddie."

"That's Mom to you. Or Ma." She smirked.

Sam gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but you'll always be Maddie to me."

She sighed heavily as she hugged Sam. "I guess that'll have to do. At least little Samuel will call me 'Grandma'."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

By the time Samuel was released from the hospital, he and Maddie were man and wife, with Pastor Tom officiating. They had a little party in his room thanks to the cake Pam made and a few casserole dishes from the church ladies, and anyone who came in walked away with at least a piece of cake.

"We're going to miss you when you're gone, Samuel," one of the nurses told him as he prepared to leave. "None of our other patients treat us to food."

"Aw, and what about my sparkling personality?"

"That too, honey." She smiled and patted his arm. "You take care of yourself now. Have a great time with your new wife, but not too good a time. As much as we loved having you, we don't want to see you back here so soon."

Samuel laughed and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you, darlin'. I don't want to come back here, either, unless I'm visiting someone."

"Maddie's here," she said as she left the room with a wave. "Bye, Samuel!"

Maddie came into the room and stood before him smiling. "It's good to see you back on your feet."

"Not for long. You know one of those jokers with the wheelchairs will be by at any moment, forcing me to roll out of here." He stepped forward and closed the distance between them, enfolded her in his arms and gave her a long deep kiss. They heard a voice clearing and parted to find an orderly waiting. Sam frowned. "See, I told ya!"

"I don't care. I'm just glad you're coming home with me." She released him and guided him to the wheelchair. Then she picked up his small case and followed them out to the car. Sam wanted to drive her to pick up his dad, but she insisted that she wanted to do this alone.

She pulled into the driveway and gasped. While she was gone, someone had stretched a banner across the garage door. In big block letters it read, "Welcome home, Dad!" She turned off the car and before she could go around to help Samuel out, the car door opened and Sam was there.

"I've got you, Dad. Take it easy, now."

"Oh, will you stop? It's not like I'm completely helpless!" He smacked Sam's hand out of the way and stood on his own. "See? I'm fine, Son. Now, if you'll excuse me, my wife and I are going into the house and have our own little homecoming." He took two steps and turned. "Unless you've got something up your sleeve in there."

"Nope. No surprises, except for the banner. That was Eve's idea." He paused. "It's good to see you up and around, Dad. I...I wasn't sure..." Sam told himself he wasn't going to get all choked up, but seeing his father on his feet again caused something inside to break down.

Father and son hugged, and finally Samuel broke the contact. "We'll see you on Sunday, if not sooner. Have to see my little guy now and then." He grinned.

"Yeah. See you Sunday. You're gonna like the addition. It's almost done, just have to paint inside and get the stucco on the outside to match the rest of the house."

"Fantastic. Just sorry I couldn't do much to help."

Sam shrugged. "You were busy. See you later, Dad." He waved at Samuel and Maddie and walked home alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jack and Sasha had to go back to North Dakota, so with Samuel gone, it was just Sam, Yvette, and little Samuel in the house. It was too quiet. Sam lay on his back staring at the ceiling, wondering how his father was doing. Then he didn't like where his thoughts were going. That was none of his business what he and Maddie did. Instead, he rolled to his side and curled Yvette into his body. She moaned when he traced her shoulder blade with kisses, and her hand came up to caress his face.

"Can't sleep, huh," she asked softly.

"Nope."

"Me neither. I miss him, Sam."

"Me too. I'm just glad he's not too far away." He rested his chin in the nape of her neck. "Better than the cemetery."

Yvette turned and faced him. "Sam, when are you going to stop bashing yourself over this? You didn't pull the trigger! That bank robber did!"

"But if I hadn't delayed him going to the bank..."

"How do you know that would have made any difference? What if they'd gotten there earlier? Your father could be dead, and maybe others with him." She cradled his face in her hands. "What happened, happened for a reason, Sam. Only God knows why. We just have to be thankful that everything turned out for the best."

"You're right. I just need you to remind me of that for awhile until I get it through my thick head." He kissed her lips tenderly and sighed against her cheek as he gathered her into his arms. "What would I do without you, Eve? Sometimes you're the only thing that keeps me sane in this crazy business I call my life."

"I don't even want to think about what life would be like without you." She kissed Sam, pressed close to his body, and showed him just how grateful she was to share life with him.

When they both exhausted themselves, they fell asleep entwined in their loving embrace and didn't wake up until Samuel called out the next morning. "Dada, mama! Dada, m-m-m-mama!"

"Oh great, time to get up." Sam muttered. "I wish we could teach him to sleep in on Sundays."

"Nonsense. He'll have plenty of time to learn that later. Get up! We've got someplace to go!"

The church was within walking distance, so the couple took advantage of the gorgeous day to take the stroll. In the afternoon they would be celebrating Samuel's first birthday in the back yard, and all their friends and family would be there. It was still hard for Sam to believe that he and Michael, and his brother Nate, were now officially family, and other than the wedding, this would be their first family function. He liked the fact that Samuel had uncles now, and a cousin, and except for Nate's family being in Vegas, he had easy access to them.

_ If Mike and Fiona ever get married, then she'd be my sister-in-law!_

That thought gave him the shivers, despite the fact that their relationship had evolved considerably since that first day when she wanted nothing better than to rip his head off for ruining a buy of hers many years before. He could now say he actually liked her. She was perfect for Mike. If only he could convince his friend to take the plunge.

While Sam spent so much time at the hospital or building, Yvette had obviously been spending a lot of time on her knees at the church. When they arrived people knew her and welcomed both of them warmly. Others came and introduced themselves as those who helped with meals or babysitting. Sam recognized the guys who helped him with the house, and he made a point of entering their circle to thank them for their hard work and catch up with them, because in the process of their being charitable, they'd become friends.

On their way home, Yvette asked, "So, what did you think?"

"It was okay." His exposure to church was limited to the few times his mother took him, and it was always fire and brimstone shouted down from a pulpit. "It was...different. The people were different than what I'd expected. Like they really care."

"They do. We've witnessed it first-hand. So maybe you'll come along now and then?" She cocked an eyebrow up as she glanced at him.

"Sure. If it'll make you happy." He put his arm around her shoulder and held Samuel against his hip with the other.

He knew that wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she was wise enough to hold her tongue. "We better get home, because Maddie and your dad are coming over to help set up for the party. I think Michael and Fi are coming to help too."

"Don't worry, we'll have everything ready in time."

"I'm sorry, I worry. I'm a mother! This is Samuel's first birthday, it's a big deal."

"I know. Everything will be just fine."

Samuel's party was perfect as far as Yvette was concerned. Everyone they invited came, and Pam created a car shaped cake for the occasion. When it was time, Yvette brought out the cake with one candle in the middle. Samuel stared at it, unsure of what to do. "Blow it out, honey. Come on, you can do it." Samuel looked up at Yvette, a blank look on his face.

"Hey, let's get a picture before the candle burns down," Maddie exclaimed as she stood up and aimed the camera at the small group. "Sam, Yvette, get in there a little closer. Closer." Sam held him gently by the shoulders as Yvette hovered over them both, and they kept their eyes on their son as he puzzled over the flame. "Perfect!" Sam blew the candle out as it burned to within an inch of the frosting, and Maddie was quick enough to catch the action on film.

"Next year, kiddo. You'll have two shots at it then!" Sam hugged his son, and Samuel reached out to push his fingers into the side of the cake, rake them down the surface, and stick them into his mouth. Everyone laughed, and he looked up at them with wide eyes. "Good stuff, huh?"

Samuel reached for more and grabbed a hunk of cake. "Okay, we better cut a piece for him before he destroys it," Yvette exclaimed as she sank a knife blade into one end. She cut off a piece and set it on a plate, then handed it to Sam along with a fork. "Here, let him have this."

Before Sam could get some on the utensil, Samuel smashed his little hand into the frosting and babbled away joyfully. He held up the gooey mess and said, "Dada."

"It goes in your face, not on your hand, Sammy," Sam said with a grin.

"Dada dada," Samuel replied and pushed his hand forward, making contact with Sam's face.

"Ha, I got it!" Maddie cheered. Sam glared at her, but it only made her smile widen. "I knew I should have dug up that old Super 8 camera Frank had. This would be a great movie!"

Sam grabbed a napkin and wiped the icing off his nose. "I'm glad you didn't, Maddie. This is better kept as a memory." He turned his attention back to Samuel and fed him some cake.

Little did he know that Fiona recorded the scene on her phone. It was stuff like this that she kept to herself, living vicariously through Sam and Yvette the dream she had for her and Michael. She wasn't stupid. Her chances with Michael were practically nil just getting him down the aisle, and if she didn't love him so much, she would have been gone a long time ago. To get married and have children, the odds were astronomically stacked against them. She was thankful for friends with such an adorable kid that she could love and pretend, when she babysat, that he was hers. Fiona mentally shook herself out of her wishing. It was time to just enjoy the party and the day, being with friends, thankful for the miracle that she had this.

Maybe there was one more left for her sometime in the future.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Michael entered the loft and heard Sam's voice. "Next year, kiddo. You'll have two shots at it then!" Then he heard laughing, and Sam said, "Good stuff, huh?" His brow furrowed as he looked around. There was no one visible on the lower level, but upstairs, he saw Fiona's bare feet through the floor grating. She wiggled them underneath the office chair, oblivious to his entrance.

"Okay, we better cut a piece for him before he destroys it," Yvette exclaimed and there was a pause before she continued. "Here, let him have this."

By the time his foot hit the first step, Michael knew exactly what Fiona was doing. He remembered that she took some video at Samuel's birthday party. She must have loaded it onto the computer and was now watching it. Over and over and over if he knew her as well as he thought he did.

"It goes in your face, not on your hand, Sammy," Sam said.

"Dada dada," Samuel replied.

Maddie exclaimed, "I knew I should have dug up that old Super 8 camera Frank had. This would be a great movie!"

"I'm glad you didn't, Maddie. This is better kept as a memory."

"Fi," Michael spoke softly, trying in vain not to startle her.

She sat up straight and hit a button on the keyboard, closing the video. Then she pasted on an overly cheerful smile and said, "Michael! I-I thought you would be gone longer...I mean, didn't Pearce have you in some high-level meeting all afternoon?"

"Yeah, well, it got a little heated and we broke it off before things got out of hand." Michael carefully approached her, sat on the edge of the desk and ran a hand through her hair. He smiled at her in a way that reminded her of a long time ago in another place when things weren't so complicated.

Fiona chose to ignore the look and asked, "What happened?"

"Oh you know, typical CIA stuff. She wants me to take an assignment that could potentially last four months, on the other side of the world, with no way to contact you...or my family." His hand moved down to caress her cheek, lowering to her chin that had dipped at the mention of his being gone so long.

"I suppose it would be quite a dangerous assignment, then." Her voice was so soft, he could barely hear it.

"Yes. This job is my ticket. If I complete it, no more playing games. I'm in." He lifted her chin and at the same time got down on his knees before her. His eyes locked onto hers and he reached for her hands before speaking. "I told her I wouldn't do it. I had other plans."

Fiona's eyes were wide with questions. "Michael, she's your boss! How can you just turn down a job?"

"Well, I'm not technically in yet, and yes, turning down this job is not going to get me on the cool CIA keycard, but..." He sighed heavily. "Everything Sam has been telling me is starting to make sense, Fi. I thought getting back in was what I wanted more than anything, but recently, I've had something more valuable drilled into my head. Family. Family means so much to everyone around me except for me, and I'm starting to think that there's something wrong with that, with me, I mean."

"Michael, no, you're just used to..."

He covered her lips with a finger. "No, Fi. I know what my problem is. My childhood had me running scared from family because of what life was like with my dad. But I've seen first-hand how people can change, they forgive each other, and relationships are repaired. Like Sam and his dad. And now my mom has a whole new life with Samuel." He blinked as he fought back the rising emotion. "I see how much they love each other, and he treats her like my dad should have. Sam and Yvette are getting another child to add to their family. Everyone is getting what they want and they're happy. I'm getting what I want." He paused, swallowed, and shook his head. "But I'm not happy."

Fiona took him into her arms and held him close as she whispered, "Maybe what you thought you wanted wasn't what you were supposed to have. And now it's come to haunt you."

Michael nodded into her shoulder. "You're right, Fi." He kissed a spot and pulled away to look her in the eyes. "After the meeting I went to the beach and had a slushy on our bench." He smiled when she did. "I spent some time thinking about the beginning of our partnership, when we started working with Sam on these cases, just simple people with complex problems, and we were the only ones who could help them." Emotion choked his voice as he said, "It was good, Fi. Sure, it was dangerous work, but it was, dare I say it, fun. I know you thought so to. As did Sam. Ever since I've been asking you two to help with these government cases, nobody's been really happy with the work."

"It's good money," Fiona responded lamely.

"A job should be more than just money, Fi. We should be helping people like we used to. Helping the government is, well, it feels like a chore." He shook his head. "I never liked chores."

"Michael, what are you saying?" Fiona's eyes were wide as she sat straight in her chair.

"I'm quitting, Fi. I'm giving up on the CIA, and I don't care who burned me anymore. I should have seen it a long time ago that they did me a favor."

Fiona was dumbstruck. She didn't know what to say, because for so long she'd prayed that Michael would see the light, that the CIA wasn't the be all and end all of his life. Now that day had come, and to tell the truth, she never had much faith that it would happen. This was truly a miracle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The inside of the house smelled like fresh latex as Michael let himself inside using the key that Sam had given him. It was quiet, except for the squishy wet sound of a paint-infused roller moving up and down on the wall. As he entered the kitchen, he called out, "Sam?"

"I'm in here, brother."

He could almost hear the smile in Sam's voice, because now, when he called Michael that endearment, it actually meant something. It was strange, and yet natural at the same time. Their relationship was so deep it went beyond mere friendship; when his mother married Sam's dad, they became bonded on an even more profound level. He liked it. So after Fi, Sam was the first to whom he ran to tell about his decision.

Michael exited the kitchen and turned right through the open bedroom door. After a few feet, he turned the corner and found the walls glistening with a bright yellow paint. He whistled. "Wow, Sam. That's pretty...sunny."

"Yeah, they called it Sunflower at the store. Eve liked it. She didn't want pink on the walls, in case they wound up giving us a boy." Sam stopped and rested the roller against the inside of the paint tray. "Personally, I would have gone for something more blue or even a good lavender, but that's pretty girly too." He flapped a yellow paint encrusted hand. "Ah, what do I know? Men aren't supposed to be interior designers, if you listen to these women talk. We're just supposed to shut up, buy the paint they select, and slap it on. So that's what I'm doing!"

"It looks good, Sam, even if it is a bit bright. You can always turn it down with the furniture and stuff."

He nodded. "True. Hey, I'm almost done here. After I'm cleaned up, I have to swing by your Ma's house, I mean, you know..." He let out a breath and smiled sheepishly. "I'm still getting used to this whole thing! Anyway, I have to go pick up Sammy and Eve, and then we're going out."

"Anything special?"

"Not really, just going out. Hey, you should get Fi and we can all go together."

"That's not a bad idea, Sam. I think Fi would agree that we need a night out." Michael grinned.

"Alrighty, then. Just have to finish the second coat on this wall, and then I'm done. You might want to wait in the kitchen, because this splatters a little."

Michael nodded as he stepped over the wrinkled dropcloth, dodging wet yellow droplets, and went back to the kitchen. He reached into the fridge and grabbed a yogurt and pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer. He'd been over often enough for Yvette to know to keep a supply of blueberry on hand, and he knew where they kept the utensils. Some people would find that scary, but that was how things were in this family. Having his own key was just the tip of the iceberg. He finished off the yogurt and was working on a glass of iced tea when Sam took the painting supplies out to the garage, returned, and ducked into the shower to clean up.

"Ready to go, Mikey?" Sam hit the bottom of the stairs smelling of soap and fresh cologne, wearing one of his bright blue Hawaiian shirts with white pants.

"Yeah." He set his glass in the sink and followed Sam out of the house.

As they walked to his mother's house, they passed the alley. A red Buick convertible came flying out and stopped short of plowing over both of them.

"Sorry boys," Ms. Reynolds grinned, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

Michael sidestepped out of her way and muttered, "Boy, she's still mad about the car, isn't she, Sam?"

He waited until she was out of earshot to reply. "No, I think she's more pissed that I got married to someone else and had a family. I'm sorry, but she just wasn't marriageable material."

"Was anyone you dated 'marriageable'?"

Sam gave him a long look and kept walking. "Come to think of it, no. Veronica got awfully close, though." He let out a long sigh. "It's a good thing that didn't work out. I never would have been happy with her, not really. She was fun, and she had money, and...other things, but that was it."

"It's funny how the things we think will make us happy don't. Meanwhile, we lose out on the things that would really make us happy."

"Mike, what are you saying," Sam asked, looking at him warily. "Is there something going on with you and Fi?"

Michael let out a breath and stopped on the sidewalk in front of Maddie's garage. They were out of the line of sight of the house, the perfect place for him to talk privately with Sam. He stuck his hands in his pockets and held on tight. For some reason, telling Fiona was a lot easier. With his friend and brother it was best not to beat around the bush, so he just let it out. "Sam, I quit the CIA."

"You can't quit when you're not even in yet, Mike."

"I was this close," he said and pulled out his hand with his thumb and index finger touching. "One assignment lasting four months, and I was in. If I survived."

"Oh nice. Sounds like joining a gang and not a government agency."

Michael couldn't help himself. He laughed. "You always know how to size things up, Sam."

"So what made you decide to quit trying to get in? And the other question is, what are you going to do now?" He stood with hands on hips, waiting for the answers.

"You, Sam. You're the one who finally pushed me over the edge."

Sam rolled his head back and away. "Oh great, blame me!"

"No no no, Sam," Michael exclaimed and waved his hands in front of himself. " I don't mean that in a bad way at all! Let me explain."

"Okay, shoot." He crossed his arms, and Michael knew he better talk fast because Sam didn't like being a negative force.

"All those things you said to me in the past year about your life and how great things are. That and seeing it for myself, and seeing everybody satisfied with their lives, yet I stood there looking at all this and wanting something else. That something else wasn't making me happy, and I finally figured it out."

"It's about time, Mikey!" Sam dropped his arms. "Glad I was able to knock some sense into that noggin of yours!" He grabbed Mike by the neck and gave him a knuckle rub on the head, just like a big brother would do. Michael yelled and failed for a moment until he got a hold of Sam's arm.

"What on earth are you two doing out here?" Maddie stood in the driveway, peering at them through slitted eyes. "Just like a couple of kids!"

"That's the idea, Maddie," Sam laughed and released Michael, who rubbed at his neck. "Got ya good, didn't I, Mikey? Better work on that." He laughed again.

"Sam," Yvette sighed and approached him, shaking her head.

"Hey, I never had a brother to harass. Now I do." He grinned.

"Yeah, and just remember that your brother can kick your ass," Maddie remarked and pointed a finger at him.

"Not if I get him first!" He turned and held up his hands in an attempt to hold off Michael. "Hey Mikey, why don't we all go out tonight? You and Fi, Dad and Maddie, and us? I mean, we kind of have something to celebrate, don't we?"

"Oh? What do we have to celebrate," Maddie asked, her eyebrow rising. If she still smoked, she would have had a cigarette smoldering in her upraised hand, waving it around as if she'd stub it out on the person who refused to give up the information.

"It's not that big of a deal, Sam."

"Oh, but I'd say it is, brother. Maddie, Mike is giving up on the CIA. He's just a guy helping people again, and our partnership is back on track!"

"That's wonderful! Oh Michael, I'm so proud of you!" Maddie rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, showering him with kisses on the cheek until he looked at Sam and mouthed, _I'll __get you for this._

Sam could only grin and laugh, because he knew Michael was as happy as his mom. He was just too afraid to show it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After Samuel moved out of the house, Sam turned his bedroom back into an office and they kept the bed he slept in for the new bedroom, assuming they would get an older child. If it was a child closer to Samuel's age, they would have to adjust. They gave the paint a couple days to dry, and Yvette came home with an entire bedroom ensemble, the results of an afternoon spent shopping with Fiona and Pam.

She showed Sam everything after she set up the room, and with a flourish of her arms, asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"It's great, but what if they pair us up with a boy?" He glanced at the lavender and white flowers on the purple bedding and curtains, with hot pink and white pillows scattered on the bed. A white desk was outfitted with a purple lamp and accessories, and a matching runner covered the top of the white dresser.

"Oh honey, I just know we're getting a girl!"

"You do, huh? You know something I don't?"

"No, I just have a feeling." She beamed.

He gave the room one last good look. "You better be right. I'd hate for you to have to go shopping again for a boy."

She waved a hand. "Tell you what, if we get a boy, we'll switch rooms with the office and you can make it a little boy cave in there with those blue walls. It'll be perfect. Deal?"

Sam smiled and shook his head, amused at his wife's enthusiasm. "You've got a deal."

"We didn't get this done a moment too soon. Mrs. Cortez called from social services. She's coming over tomorrow to inspect the room and talk to us about our application."

He stared at her. "Finally! With all the kids they must have waiting for homes, you'd think they would have called a long time ago."

"Maybe they didn't have the right match until now. Or we weren't ready. God only knows."

Sam left the bedroom and looked around the toy-strewn floor in the dining and living area. "We've got a lot of work to do before she shows up!"

He was never fond of housework, and when he married Yvette, Sam was grateful that she didn't seem to mind it. But once he heard about the social worker's visit, he got to work picking up toys, dusting, and doing anything else his wife asked him to do. It had been several months since they decided to go this route and applied, but they hadn't heard anything. Sam was worried that they took one look at their application and tossed it in the circular file. As part of the application process they ran background checks on everyone. He smirked to himself as he imagined his must have been interesting, to say the least, with his military background. But there were times that he wondered if his work with Mike and Fi might be a deterrent. How much would he have to explain when the woman came to the house? For lack of a better description, he put down private investigator under occupation. What if she asked to see his license? Too many doubts and questions flitted around in his mind, so he was unable to sleep that night. It was a good thing, because he had to stake out a refinery on the outskirts of town for a case Michael was working.

"So tomorrow's the big day, huh," Jesse asked as he searched the area with night vision goggles. Ever since Michael went back into business freelancing, Jesse seemed to find more time to help out on cases.

"Yeah."

"You scared?"

Sam made a scoffing noise. "Scared? Of what?"

"Whether they'll accept you."

"Jesse, I'll be honest with you. It's like the biggest, most important job interview ever. If we blow this, I don't know. Eve is really counting on this." He paused. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I mean, even if we did get a foster kid, who's to say we'd get them forever?"

"And she hasn't even thought about that, am I right?"

"Yeah." He dropped the binoculars on the dash and looked at Jesse. "I'm afraid she's going to be crushed if things don't go the way she wants them to."

"She's strong. Just be there for her, man. I know I don't have to tell you that." He smiled in the darkness.

"Thanks, Jess." Sam sat straighter in his seat. "Hey, you see that? Movement over there."

"Yep. Looks like our guy. What is he doing?"

"He's making the exchange, right on time." The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up in a smile. "Yeah, it's going down."

Sam didn't get home until just past sunrise. He parked the car in the garage and sat in the seat, willing himself to get out. Every muscle ached. He and Jesse had a hard time apprehending their subjects. They fought hard, but Jesse and Sam gave as good as they got, and now two really bad dudes were in jail. This job would net them all a nice chunk of change, but more importantly, there were victims who would get their money back, money they couldn't afford to lose. He felt blessed that he wasn't in such circumstances.

"Honey, what are you doing out here?"

Sam's eyes flew open at the sound of Yvette's voice. He almost hit his head on the car door frame when he realized that he'd fallen asleep with one foot planted on the cement floor. "Oh, h-hi, honey. Long night."

"Obviously. You look terrible. And yeah, I know, I should see the other guy." She tsked and shook her head. "Come on, you need to get inside and get cleaned up and changed, because the social worker will be here at nine."

"Okay, what time is it...now. Crap." He glanced at his watch. He had fifteen minutes to get himself together. "Don't worry, babe, I'll be ready!" He gently pushed past her, ran to the house, and tore upstairs. The adrenaline helped him stay awake in the shower, and he kept telling himself that he had no time to revel in the effect the water had on his sore muscles. He hoped the meeting went well and was over quickly so he could grab a nap afterwards.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Mrs. Cortez was not what Sam expected from a social worker. She blew away every one of the stereotypes in his mind. She was in her 30s, wore tasteful, stylish clothes, and had a pleasant demeanor. But she was more than punctual, a ploy social services used to catch people with their pants down. She arrived early by ten minutes, and Sam was still in the shower. Yvette answered the door with a smile on her face and her heart hammering, hoping he would hurry up and get downstairs.

"Come in, Mrs. Cortez!"

"Please, call me Linda," she requested with a warm smile as Yvette led her into the living room. She glanced around and her smile widened at the neatness, marred only by a small pile of toys in the corner near the dining area where Samuel played. "Is your husband here, Mrs. Axe?"

"Yes. Just a moment, please." Yvette hurried to the foot of the stairs and called up. "Sam!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm hurrying!"

"Thank you, dear." She returned with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, he just got home from work a little while ago."

Linda glanced at her notes. "Yes, he's a private investigator. I suppose there are some erratic work hours with a job like that."

"At times, but it's worked for us. It often allows him to be here during the day. When Samuel was sick, he was able to take care of him while I went to an appointment." She smiled, knowing exactly where the woman's questioning was going. "Would you care for something to drink, Linda?"

"Yes, just water will be fine. Thanks."

A loud thump came from upstairs, and her eyes rose up to the ceiling. She shook her head and continued her inspection of the lower level. "You don't mind if I look around, do you?"

"Not at all. That's what you're here for, correct?"

"Yes." She flipped on the light in the office and stuck her head inside. For some reason, she expected there to be papers everywhere, but the desktop was clear. She entered the room for a closer look, tried a drawer on a file cabinet in the corner and discovered it was locked. The desk drawers were also locked. A bulletin board and dry erase calendar covered one wall above the desk. Baby doctor appointments, play dates, and other personal dates shared the calendar with cryptic notes written in some sort of code. The bulletin board was covered in photos of the family and other people that she assumed had some sort of relationship to the Axes. At the bottom, a sheaf of papers hung by one tack. She looked closer. They were pages of a manual for disassembling and caring for a semi-automatic sniper rifle. Her eyes widened.

"Finding everything you need?"

She gasped and straightened from her inspection, and turned to see an older, handsome man standing in the doorway. His hair was wet and combed, he was clean-shaven, and he wore a salmon hawaiian shirt with birds of paradise running vertically up the front.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I'm Sam Axe." He smiled and came into the room with an outstretched hand.

She took it and replied. "Linda Cortez. I was just...doing my inspection, Mr. Axe."

His smile turned into a grin that accentuated a dimple on his left cheek, along with a pronounced scar on his chin. "Just call me Sam, and I'll call you Linda. Deal?"

"Sure...Sam." She followed him out of the room and he reached around to turn off the light.

"Did you see the bedroom yet? Eve's really proud of it." He stood next to the nearby door and ushered her inside.

"It's very nice. Very nice." She smiled wider as she took in every detail. "I see she's hoping for a girl?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I told her we should have waited, but she was too eager."

"And what about you, Sam?"

"Hey, the sooner you set us up, the better. We just want another child in our home, and the idea of giving a kid a stable home, that's really important to us."

Lind nodded and wrote something in her notes, then looked up at him. "I'd like to see the upstairs, and then sit down and chat with both of you for awhile. Please, wait down here."

Once she was out of earshot, Sam whispered, "Uhoh, that can't be good."

"Why? Maybe she just doesn't want us hanging over her shoulder. This way she can concentrate on her job."

"No, I bet she saw something in the office that didn't sit right with her." He ran a hand through his hair twice. "I didn't leave that assault rifle out, did I?"

Yvette frowned, and her voice rasped. "What assault rifle?"

But Sam was already in the office, light switched on, searching the room. He went to the closet and opened it, but nothing was out in plain sight there. He let out a deep breath and left the room. "Okay, it's clear. I forgot Fi picked it up yesterday. Maybe it was all my work stuff on the calendar? Maybe that's got her uneasy."

"Sam, you're being ridiculous!"

"Well, we'll just see what she says, won't we?"

"Shh, she's coming! Turn out that light!"

Sam snapped off the office light and retreated to the kitchen for two glasses of iced tea for him and Yvette.

"You've done a fine job baby-proofing everything."

"It's hard not to when Samuel wants to get into everything," Sam replied as he carried the glasses into the dining room and set them down on the table.

"I see in the family profile that you wrote out it mentions that he's an early adopter and a very curious child." Linda smiled at Samuel. He smiled back, picked up a stuffed kitten and toddled over to her, babbling and holding up the toy. Her smile warmed. "And he likes to chatter."

"He says a few things already," Yvette answered proudly.

"His first word was Dada," Sam added, even prouder.

Yvette held her tongue, but gave him a look that said _Don't remind me!_

Linda caught sight of her expression. "Yvette, it's not unusual for children to say 'dada' first. It's actually easier for them than 'mama'."

"Well, he says that too, and baba when we go bye-bye. And...oh, listen to me! You didn't come here to talk about Samuel's vocabulary." She picked him up and sat him in her lap at the table where Linda had seated herself at the end. Sam sat on the side behind Yvette, placing a restless hand on the back of her chair.

"It's good to see parental pride. It tells me a lot about who you are," Linda assured her.

She shuffled her papers and began to ask them more questions. As she listened, Linda wrote copious notes and wore a pleased smile. The interview was going smoothly, and Sam and Yvette grew more hopeful.

"Now, Sam, I'd like to go back to your line of work." She glanced up and noticed the worried expression on his face. "What exactly do you do as a 'private investigator'?"

"A little bit of everything. My friends and I help people with situations that they can't solve themselves, or they've gone to the police, and the cops tell them they can't do anything until X happens. Well, X usually is something that involves mayhem, injury or death, so we do what we can to make sure the problem gets resolved without it ever getting to that point." His instincts told him it was a bad idea to mention how they got the job done.

"How much of your military experience comes into play in the cases you take on?"

"Why? What does that matter?"

"Sam...I've seen your file, or as much of it as the Federal government would let me see. It seems you've distinguished yourself as a Navy SEAL, and considering some of the news reports lately about special operations and such, I can only imagine what you were doing for our country."

"And what does that have to do with taking care of a child? You can see Sammy is fine, he's happy, healthy, and..."

"Yes, I know, um, Mr., um, Commander...Sam. I just have concerns about...weapons...in the house." She looked sternly at him. "I heard you and your wife discussing an assault rifle while I was upstairs."

Sam turned white. _The woman must have the ears of a bat!_ He quickly recovered, however, and answered, "Every once in awhile, yes, there is a weapon in this house besides a semi-automatic handgun that we keep locked up." He didn't dare mention the one he kept on himself most of the time. _Good thing I left that one tucked away upstairs. What next, a pat down?_ "Mrs. Cortez, I spent over 20 years in the military. I know how to handle and secure more weapons than you'll ever know. The assault rifle belongs to a friend, and I'd forgotten that she picked it up yesterday. If she hadn't, it would have been in a secure place, and I'm the only one with a key."

"And why was it here to begin with?" Her eyes bored into his.

"It needed to be repaired. Her usual gunsmith was out of town, and I took care of it for her. Until I locked it in the closet, it was out in the garage, on a shelf, away from any child's reach."

"Where do you keep the handgun?"

"In a cabinet in the kitchen, where it's locked. The ammunition is in a safe that requires a four digit pass code."

Yvette added, "The only time that gun has been out in the open, it's been in either Sam's or my hand. After Samuel was kidnapped, we were careful of strangers for awhile... but the gun was always properly unloaded after a potential threat was gone, stored, and locked up. Sam and I are the only ones with keys."

"Could a child find the key and get access to the gun?"

"Anything is possible, but it's not likely," Sam answered, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "And if they did, they'd have to know the pass code to get the ammunition. That's all you need to know, Mrs. Cortez." Her name dropped off his lips like a chunk of ice falling off an iceberg.

Linda's eyebrows went up for a moment and she stared down at her notes to avoid his unpleasant gaze. "I'm sorry, Sam, Yvette. I have to ask these questions, because so many people aren't careful with their guns. We've had foster kids, older ones, find them and...well, they do anything from shoot another child or one of the parents to rob a convenience store."

Yvette glanced back at Sam with alarm in her eyes, but Sam kept his gaze steady as he asked, "Are you thinking of placing an older child in our home?"

"No, not with the guns. Frankly, if it were up to me, I wouldn't place any child here. But a child Samuel's age, maybe a little older, if they are taught about respecting weapons from an early age, that I would be okay with."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sam declared with a smug expression. "I'm a firm believer in the Second Amendment, but it's also a person's responsibility to be smart about how they exercise their rights."

"I understand." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if I worried you two about all these questions. My superiors want to be sure we're putting a child in a good environment."

Sam swept his hand around the room as he responded. "And I don't understand all the concern, since we have Samuel here and he's doing fine. Our neighbor's daughter Zoe comes over all the time, and there's never been a problem."

"That reminds me, I have to stop in and talk with Mrs. McCarthy before I go back to the office." She glanced at her watch. "And I'm late." She quickly gathered up her papers, stacked them neatly into a file folder that she tucked into her briefcase, and stood. She offered her hand. "Thank you Sam, Yvette, for your time. We'll be in touch."

Yvette let her out and stood watching the woman walk up the sidewalk toward Pam's house. She said a silent prayer that the things Sam revealed didn't affect their chances. Still, she couldn't help but feel that with each click of the woman's heels on the concrete, their foster child disappeared with her.

"I know what you're thinking," Sam said as he caressed her shoulders. "Just remember it's out of our hands. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

_Oh Sam, sometimes I think you have more faith than I!_

He kissed her cheek and turned away. "Hey, Sammy! How about we go to the beach?" The tiredness he was feeling was gone, and in its place burned a righteous indignation. _How dare a total stranger_ _decide whether or not we're fit parents, when the proof is sitting right here on the floor playing happily with his toys. _ _If that doesn't count for something, maybe we're better off starting from scratch and going to an adoption agency._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sam entered the kitchen and found a note on the whiteboard attached to the refrigerator door. _Took Samuel for 18 month checkup. Put dinner in oven __375F __ 4:30. Love, Eve._ He smiled at the cute rendition of a kitten that she drew next to her name. It was two months since their disastrous interview, with no word from social services. Yvette was thinking that adopting a cat would be easier, so the kitten was their private little joke. He wasn't in the mood, but she still managed to cheer him up a little.

He'd become obsessed with the whole foster/adoption drama, and he couldn't stop thinking about it even now. Between the interview, his profession, his age, and God only knew what else, they were dealing with an unfavorably stacked deck when it came to expanding their immediate family. It was time to stop kidding themselves and move on to the next option.

He got online and searched for adoption agencies, specifically ones that dealt with surrogacy services. If they went that route, the child would at least be half theirs. He heard a squeak and a soft thump coming from the front of the house. _Mail's here. Should I bother? It's probably just junk, bills, and more junk. And maybe a magazine that Mrs. Cortez would find offensive because its subject matter was guns and ammunition. _That still rankled him.

He'd lost his concentration, so Sam got up to retrieve the mail: a catalog, the electric bill, a letter from Jack, and an official looking number 10 envelope from the Department of Social Services. He tossed that one on the table. It was thin, most likely a rejection letter. He didn't even want to know what kind of flowery words they used to tell them how sorry they were, but they could not place a child in the Axe home. Instead, he opened the letter from his buddy Jack.

_He__y Axeman,_

_ Sorry I haven't been in touch since we went back to ND. Things have been happening, and now I'm finally okay and I can write. I wanted to tell you while I was there. Before we went down to Miami I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Drawing those plans for you was the last job I did, and helping you build it, I thought that would be the last construction job I ever did. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't do it. Pretty strange, huh? All the suicide missions we went barreling into, and I couldn't even tell my best friend I was dying. I thought our visit was my last chance to see you, and I wanted to make it a good memory, so I guess that's why I didn't say anything._

_ Anyway, Sasha never gave up on me, even when I was ready to pack it in. I went to Mayo, and to a cancer treatment center, and they tried some pretty aggressive stuff. I'm still sicker than a dog from the treatments, but I'm getting better. As soon as I'm able, Sash and I are moving to Miami. I need the beauty of palm trees, sand, and sun to make me feel better. I need my best friend, and if you'll share them with me, your best friends._

_ We loved being with you guys. Looking forward to seeing you soon, probably after the holidays. My brother wants to buy my house, so I won't even have to worry about getting rid of it. How's that for ya? _

_ Later, Jack_

Sam sat re-reading the letter three times, shocked at the news. He tried to remember if he saw any sign that Jack was sick, but there was nothing. He didn't seem incapacitated in any way. As a matter of fact, he seemed stronger than ever. His personality was a little different, moodier at times, but Sam chalked that up to passage of time and life experiences. But then he remembered. If he closed his eyes he could see it like yesterday, when Sasha climbed the ladder to the roof and Sam spied a fist-sized bruise on her back, near her rib cage. And the bruise on her upper arm. She said she ran into something during construction, but he couldn't back it up with any evidence to the contrary. Yet she didn't shy away from Jack or act like she was intimidated by him in any way. She knew what the tumor was doing to him, and she bore the marks stoically, because she had faith that one day he would be himself again. He was floored by that realization.

The back door slammed and Yvette called out, "Sam? Why isn't the oven on?"

He swiped at the wetness in his eyes and stood to meet her. "I"m sorry, Eve. I got a letter from Jack, and I guess I got wrapped up in it."

"Mind if I read it?"

"Go ahead. It's some pretty heavy news." He handed her the letter, bent down and gave Samuel a kiss on the top of his head and asked, "So kiddo, how'd the doctor's visit go?"

"He's a little cranky. Shots."

"Ohhhh, just wait. The needles get bigger if you join the military and want to see the world!"

"Sam! Don't tell him that!" She smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Hey, it's true!" He reached into the refrigerator, pulled out the casserole dish and set it in the oven. Then he turned it on.

"Oh my gosh, Sam!"

"What? What is it?" He thought she was reacting to the letter from Jack, but when he entered the dining room, she stood with the official looking letter dangling from her hand. "Why didn't you open this?"

He shrugged. "I thought it was a rejection letter. So, how easy did they let us down?"

"They didn't," she replied as a tear ran down her cheek. Her eyes were like overflowing pools when she looked up at him. "We're getting a little girl, six years old. Next week."

Sam's face registered his shock. "Eve, please don't kid around."

"I'm not! Look! You can read it yourself!" She waved the sheet of paper in the air, and the only way he could read it was to snatch it from her hand.

He scanned the words in total disbelief, but a sense of joy won out in the end.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Axe,_

_ The Florida Department of Children's Services is pleased to tell you that your home has been determined to be a fit habitation for a foster child. Within the next week, Mrs. Linda Cortez will be in touch with you to make arrangements for delivery of your child the following week. She is a six year old girl of Hispanic origin. When Mrs. Cortez brings her to your home, she will discuss with you the child's history and any special needs she may have._

_ We hope that the journey you are about to take with this child proves to be a joyful one for you as well as for her, especially at this time of year. If you have any questions, please contact me, Mrs. Cortez's supervisor, at 739-555-5021._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Melanie Clifton, Director_

"It's really happening," Sam's voice came out in a whisper. "We're getting a child!" They met in an embrace and cried tears of joy together. Poor little Samuel looked up at them, pouting, not knowing why his parents seemed so upset. So he did the only thing he knew how to do. He wailed.

"It's okay, sweetie." Yvette broke away from Sam and picked him up. Then the three of them joined in a hug. "You're getting a big sister, Samuel! It's going to be great!"

The week couldn't have gone fast enough as far as Sam and Yvette were concerned. He kept busy with another case, and Yvette rearranged the bedroom a hundred times to make sure it was perfect. Linda Cortez contacted them and set up a date to bring the girl to them, and the day of the meeting, Sam made sure his schedule was clear. He didn't want her showing up two hours early just to catch him cleaning a gun or something.

The car parked at the curb and Mrs. Cortez got out. A small child sat in the back seat, and she waited patiently until the social worker came around and opened her door. She dragged a small suitcase and a well worn rag doll out of the car with her. Her thick black curly hair sparkled in the sunlight as she took in the place.

"So, should we go out there or let her bring her inside," Sam asked, his hand on the door, foot tapping on the tile, eyes focused on the little girl. "She's adorable. Look at those big eyes!"

"Sam, relax, let's let them come in. Go make some koolaid or something, please!" She would never let him know it, but if it were up to her, she would have been out on that lawn, on her knees, taking that dear child into her arms at that very second. But she looked scared, and Yvette didn't want to do anything to make things worse.

"Hello, Yvette," Linda greeted her as they stepped up onto the porch.

"Hello, Linda," Yvette opened the screen and looked down at the little girl with a big smile. "And hello to you, sweetheart! What's your name?"

"Her name is Esperanza." She placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and spoke to her in Spanish.

Sam glanced at Yvette. "Um, Mrs. Cortez, does Esperanza speak only Spanish?" His Spanish was rusty, but Yvette knew next to nothing about the language. This could prove to be a real challenge!

"She knows some English, but Spanish is the language she was taught from birth. It would be your job to acclimate her to the English language and prepare her for school."

"You mean she's not in school," Yvette asked. She knew at her age the child should be in the first grade.

"No, she's behind because of the language barrier. Please, why don't we sit down and I can explain Esperanza's history and go from there. And be advised, that if after our conversation you decide that having Esperanza here in your home will not work, let me know. We'll find another suitable child for you."

"Okay." Sam asked, "Coffee, Linda?"

"Yes, I'd like some, thanks."

Yvette smiled and said, "I'll be right back." To Sam, Yvette muttered, "Be nice, dear."

"Always."

After everyone was seated in the living room, Esperanza on the floor with Samuel, Linda filled them in. They watched as the girl tentatively picked up a toy, but as the social worker spoke, she grew braver and entertained Samuel.

"Esperanza's parents are dead. I don't need to go into the details, but as far as we know there is no other family. She was born here in the States, as were her parents, and they lived in migrant communities working on the farms. Spanish is all they ever spoke, so they brought Esperanza up speaking the language."

"How did you come to get her," Yvette asked as she reached out and touched the girl's silky hair. Esperanza raised a hand to her head and looked at Yvette with her big brown eyes full of distrust. She pulled her hand away and smiled apologetically. "What happened to her?"

"She was found wandering the streets, malnourished, dirty, and very skittish. It took our caregivers a couple of months to get her to where she would trust anyone. Eventually we found some of her relatives, but no one would take her in." Linda looked at them and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I told the director that I didn't think it was wise to bring Espie here. With the language barrier and the trust issues, I think this is going to be way over your heads." She stood, motioned for Esperanza to get to her feet, and took her hand. "Maybe in time we'll have another child for you..."

"Now, wait just a minute," Sam spoke evenly as he stood up and blocked her way to the door. His usually warm brown eyes were cold as he locked onto Linda's wide eyes. "Look, I don't know what problem you've got with us, but we are damn good parents. You know my record, I'm not afraid to take on a challenge, and I'm not going to let you give up on us before we've even had a chance to begin. Isn't there like some kind of trial period we get before you throw in the towel, or am I gonna have to talk to your supervisor to work something out?"

"Yes, there is a one month trial period, but I don't think..."

"It's not your job to close the book on this yet, lady. It's your job to find loving homes for these kids."

"Suitable homes, Mr. Axe..."

"Which we've got right here." He got down to Esperanza's level, gave her a charming smile, and in his worst Spanish asked if she wanted to stay.

A hint of a smile crossed the child's features as she hesitated, bit her lower lip, then nodded. Sam looked up at Linda. "Well, there you go! You can leave any time now, and we'll get Esperanza settled in." The cold look in his eyes was gone as he gave his attention to Esperanza. He asked her if she wanted something to eat. She smiled wider and nodded. He stood, pleased that she let him take her hand. "Heh, see, we're gonna get along just fine!" He led Esperanza into the kitchen.

"Well, don't hesitate to give me a call for any reason," Linda told Yvette. "If she suddenly becomes uncontrollable or is scared, I will come and pick her up."

"If she's scared it's because she's been bumped around from one place to another. Stability will cure her of that," Yvette responded, and pasted on a cool smile. "You have a nice day, Mrs. Cortez. We'll keep in touch for our weekly check-ins." She led the woman to the door, let her out, and closed it soundly behind her as she stepped off the porch. Yvette leaned against the wood panel and took deep breaths until the car pulled away. "The nerve of that woman!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_What kid doesn't like milk and cookies,_Sam thought to himself as he pantomimed for Esperanza to sit in a chair at the kitchen table. He poured her a glass of milk and pulled three of the freshly-made peanut butter cookies from the cookie jar, laid them on a plate, and set them down before her. Then he grabbed a cup of coffee and a couple cookies for himself, and sat in the chair opposite her. Yvette and Samuel entered the room, and as soon as he saw what everybody was eating, he got excited.

"Mama, mama, oooey! Ooooey!"

She and Sam laughed at his pronunciation. "Yes, you can have a cookie too, honey." She sighed as she set him down to get him one along with a sippy cup of milk. In the meantime, he danced up to the last chair, placed his hands on it, and tried to move it himself.

"Woah there, kiddo. Why don't you just sit with me, okay?" Sam hoisted him up and set him on his thigh. "Jeez, Sammy, you're getting heavier all the time. Too many cookies?" He tweaked his stomach and Samuel giggled. He did it some more, and the volume increased. Sam glanced at Esperanza, and she watched with fascination and a hint of a smile on her face. Her cookies sat untouched.

"Is there something wrong with the cookies," Yvette asked as she sat at the table and handed one to Samuel. "Can you ask her, Sam?"

He took his best shot questioning her, and she came back with a stream of words he didn't understand. He shook his head. "No comprende." Just when he thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea after all, Esperanza surprised him.

"No cacahuetes," she repeated and pointed to a specific spot on one of the cookies. Then she grabbed her throat and made choking noises.

"Oh my gosh, Sam. She's allergic to peanuts!" With lightning fast speed, Yvette grabbed the plate and took it away from Esperanza. "Oh Lord, we could have killed her!" She threw the cookies into the sink, shoved them down the garbage disposal, and turned it on.

"Eve, don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?"

"It's a good thing she could tell us!"

"Mrs. Cortez should have told us if she had any allergies. It's not our fault." Although, he had to agree that a trip to the emergency room would not have been a good way to start things. He stood, set Samuel down and came to her side. Rubbing her arms, he said, "Don't worry about it. We'll just have to give Cortez a call and find out what else she didn't tell us."

"She wants us to fail, Sam. I don't know why, but she wants us to throw our hands up and send her back." She started to cry, and he pulled her back against himself and wrapped her in his arms.

"Relax. Nobody said this was going to be easy, but it doesn't have to be so hard, either. We'll get everything straightened out. In the meantime, maybe we can wrap up those cookies and take them over to Maddie's, and if she isn't allergic to chocolate, you can make some chocolate chip cookies." He smiled and kissed the top of her ear. "Maybe she can even help."

"That might be interesting," Yvette responded with a smile and a small chuckle. She relaxed in his embrace and glanced over at the two kids. "Samuel, no! Esperanza can't have that cookie!"

She broke away from Sam and in two strides had the cookie out of Samuel's hand. Not sure what to make of this twist in events, he pouted and got what Sam called 'the face'. It was a signal that he was about to have a meltdown.

"Come here, Sammy. You can have your cookie, just don't share it with Espie, okay?" He held Samuel in his arms and gave him the cookie. With wet eyes, the little boy leaned against him and nibbled on it. Crumbs tumbled onto his shirt, but Sam ignored them. "I'm going to go give Mrs. Cortez a call and find out what other landmines we have to dodge." He took Samuel with him to the office and picked up the phone. After three rings, she answered.

"Linda Cortez, Social Services."

"Hi Linda, it's Sam Axe."

"Ah, Mr. Axe. You can't tell me that you're ready for me to pick up Esperanza already?"

"No no no, as a matter of fact, things are going pretty good. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Such as?"

"Do you know if she has any allergies?"

"Allergies? Mr. Axe, what did you do to that child?"

He laughed. "Nothing. Good thing Esperanza was able to tell us she was allergic to peanuts, or I would be talking to you from an emergency room right now." He sobered and his voice took on a tone he often used to convey he meant business. "Now, Mrs. Cortez, do you want to continue to play games with a child's life, or are you going to tell me what else we need to be careful of?"

The silence on the other end told him she'd been properly chastised and she knew it. "Mr. Axe, to be honest with you, there was never anything in her records about any food allergies. No allergies at all, as a matter of fact."

"Well, Linda, tell you what. Tomorrow I'm going to stop by and pick up a copy of any and all medical records you have on Esperanza. If we are to be entrusted with her care, that would include medical checkups and immunizations, the whole ball of wax, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. So we want a file that we can take to our family doctor, so that he knows what's going on. And for good measure, we're taking her in for a checkup, because frankly, Mrs. Cortez, right now I'm having a hard time believing that your agency was half as thorough as it should be. I'll be by at ten. Have a good day." He hung up the phone without allowing her to respond. _Sit there and think about that, woman! And calm down, Sam. Maybe it really was an honest mistake._ He had a hard time convincing himself of that.

When Sam entered the kitchen, Yvette was sitting with Esperanza at the table eating cheese and crackers. She pointed to each item and said its name aloud, encouraging Esperanza to mimic her. He hadn't really given any thought as to how they would teach her English, but it seemed that Yvette's motherly instincts were right on target again. Esperanza repeated everything flawlessly.

"I wonder if anyone has ever worked with her before," Sam spoke softly, trying not to startle her.

She turned and glanced at him. "I don't know. It's the only way I can think of to start. When it gets more complex, like dealing with things less concrete," she shrugged, "who knows what'll happen."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes."

Yvette focused on his shirt. "You have some cookie crumbs on...no, don't swipe them off! Go to the sink and do it there." She sighed. "I have an idea. Why don't you take these cookies and the kids and go over to Maddie's? In the meantime, I'll clean up this kitchen thoroughly to make sure we don't have any peanut remnants in it."

"If we had any right now, she's not being affected, so maybe it's not a bad allergy."

"I'd rather not take a chance, would you?" Her eyes were intense as they locked on his.

"You're right." He waited until Esperanza was finished with her snack before taking the plastic bag Yvette handed him.

"The cookies are in a ziploc and the peanut butter jar is in another. I think that's pretty safe."

"You'd think she was Superman and this was Kryptonite," Sam joked.

"Ohhh, off with you!" She pecked him on the cheek and sent him on his way.

Sam held onto Samuel's hand as he led the way out the side door. Esperanza followed closely behind, hanging onto her rag doll, sucking on its thumb as they walked side by side down the sidewalk. Along the way, Sam pointed out things like the trees, a bird, and a squirrel, telling her the names of everything. She pointed to the sky.

"Cuál es ése," she asked.

"You want to know what those are? The clouds?" He pantomimed their puffiness. "The sky?" He moved one hand in a smooth arc.

She nodded, seeming to understand what he was trying to say. For a child who supposedly had trust issues, she was incredibly interactive. He held out a hand and stopped her at the alley, looking both ways before he crossed. He didn't want another incident with Ms. Reynolds. It took awhile walking at Samuel's speed, but they eventually arrived at Maddie's. Michael's car was in the driveway, and for a moment he wondered if meeting so many new people in one day was a bit much for Espie. But he needed to clear out for a little while longer so Eve could satisfy herself that the threat of peanuts in the house was gone.

He knocked on the back screen and announced his arrival. "Hey Maddie!"

"Sam! Come on in!"

He opened the door, let the kids in first, and closed the door behind him. "Hi, Maddie. We brought you some peanut butter cookies and a jar of peanut butter that was leftover from making the cookies."

She took the items and scowled. "Are my cookies really that bad? Come on, Sam!"

The corner of his mouth tipped up. "I refuse to answer that. No, the real reason is that Esperanza is allergic to peanuts, so Eve is frantically eradicating every little crumb from our house as we speak."

"Esperanza. Hi honey," Maddie grinned and leaned down to her level. She smoothed her hair and said, "You are such a pretty little girl!" She glanced up at Sam. "She's adorable."

"Yeah, I know." He beamed as if she were his own daughter. "She just arrived a couple of hours ago. Unfortunately, she only knows Spanish, so things are going to be, how shall we say, a little tricky for awhile. Until she gets the hang of English."

"Well, do you mind if I bring her in here to meet everybody?"

"Not at all. I was headed that way myself with the kids."

Maddie set the plastic bag on the counter and led them into the dining room. Michael and Fiona sat at the table with Samuel, and their conversation stopped as they took in the newcomers. Fiona's eyes lit up as she saw the little girl.

"Sam, she's really cute," Fiona remarked as the trio stopped with a healthy distance between them and the table. He stood behind Esperanza and touched her shoulders, letting her know he was there and she was safe with him.

"Her name is Esperanza. She just arrived, and we've had quite the interesting afternoon. We've already discovered that she's allergic to peanuts."

"They didn't tell you this," Michael asked with eyebrows raised. "That's pretty serious, Sam."

"Yeah, tell me about it, brother! Mrs. Cortez claims they didn't know she was allergic." He shook his head, his frustrations with the social worker gaining steam again. "We're going to set up an appointment with our family doctor, get her a good overall check. I don't want any more surprises." He paused. "Oh yeah, and she doesn't speak English."

Fiona's eyebrow went up and she said something to Esperanza in fluent Spanish. Esperanza grinned and giggled softly.

"What did you just say, Fi?"

"Nothing, Sam. I just asked her how she liked her new daddy." Fiona gave him a grin. "You know, if you need any translation help, I could assist."

"Thanks, Fi, but I think we're going to try what we're doing. She needs immersion in English. The aim is to get her speaking English, not let her use Spanish as a security blanket. You know what I mean?"

Fiona nodded. "I understand. Still, you know I speak it fluently, so if you're in a jam, just let me know."

Sam was touched by her gesture. He nodded. "So, anyway, everybody, this is Esperanza. Espie, this is Fiona, Michael, mi padre Samuel, and Maddie." He pointed back and forth between the two, and then to his wedding ring.

"Oh, si. Si." Esperanza responded. "Abuela y abuelo!"

Fiona laughed. "She just called you grandma and grandpa!"

"Si, Esperanza." Sam crouched down and hugged her, and he was surprised when she hugged him back. "Tell her that I don't think they mind being called Grandma and Grandpa."

Fiona spoke to her, and Esperanza's smile grew. "Sam, I think you just made her day. That little girl is starving for love. That's what she needs more than English lessons."

He looked into the child's eyes and saw a spark of something that wasn't there before. "I do believe you're right, Fi."

They spent a long time at Samuel and Maddie's before Sam decided it was probably safe to go home. That, and a phone call from Yvette didn't hurt. He left the others with promises to bring the kids back again for an afternoon or an outing.

"Maybe we can go to the zoo," Maddie suggested. "Samuel loves the zoo."

"Which one," Sam teased.

"Son..." Samuel growled, but he had a twinkle in his eye. "I don't have to work on Thursday. Why don't we make it an outing?"

"Fi, Sam and I were working...but Fi and I can handle it alone." Michael smiled at Sam. "You should take a week or two off and just spend time with your family."

"We don't need Sam for this job anyway. It's pretty simple, really," Fiona assured everyone. She smiled at Sam. "Really, Michael's right. You should take time to get Esperanza established in your home. Then you can come back and work with us."

Sam looked at them while conflicting thoughts warred in his head. They were right, but he couldn't help but feel as if they were pushing him out of the business, as if they'd been waiting for the right excuse to 'fire' him and do things on their own. "Okay, sure. Week after next, I'll be back in to help with whatever you've got cookin'. Speaking of cooking, we better get home and see what Mommy's got for supper, huh sport?" He picked up Samuel and ruffled his hair before slinging him over his shoulder. Samuel rewarded him with a big laugh. "Talk to you all later!" He reached down and took Esperanza's hand. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go home. Vayamos a casa."

"Bye bye, honey," Maddie said as Sam left with the kids.

Esperanza looked over her shoulder and waved. "Bye bye, abuela."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Life with Esperanza became easier as time went by. She was a clever child and picked up several new words every day. Within a few weeks, she was speaking in short, easy sentences. If she had any emotional issues as Mrs. Cortez implied, Sam and Yvette didn't see them. He was pretty sure it was a smokescreen, a vain attempt to get them to change their mind. Why, he still had no idea.

"I know it's kind of sick, Mike, but I get a perverse thrill out of calling Cortez every week and telling her how great things are going. I can just hear her chewing on nails on the other side of the line." He laughed.

Michael scanned the crowd as they stood on the sidewalk trying to look casual while waiting for a new client to show. They usually went to Carlito's, but this one insisted on meeting in the open.

Michael squinted. "What has she got against you guys? I don't understand it."

"I know, what's not to love about our little family?"

"Your dad can be a handful sometimes, but..." Michael turned to him with a grin. Ever since the pressure was off to find out who burned him and he decided not to try for his old job, he slowly loosened up. He reminded Sam of when they worked together many years ago; intense as usual about his work, but able to kick back now and then and relax. "Seriously, Sam, I hate to admit this, but he's the best thing that happened to my mom in a long time."

"I knew you'd come around eventually."

Michael ignored the smugness in his friend's voice and glanced at his watch. "He's late."

"You said he was desperate. He'll be here." Sam jingled the keys in his pocket. "Say, what are you and Fi doing for Christmas?"

"I don't know. I think she's disappointed that Mom and Samuel decided to go on a cruise. I mean, this would have been the first Christmas together as a family."

"Why should Fi care? It's not like she's part of the family...yet." Sam gave him a meaningful glance.

A large breath escaped Michael, and he threw his head back, blinking behind his sunglasses at the bright sky. "Sam, I'm getting around to it."

"Yeah, you've been 'getting around to it' for how long now?"

Michael's head came down and he stared at his friend. "I've got the ring. It's just a matter of when and where."

"All I'm saying is, it'll make the best present ever if you pop the question before Christmas." Sam cocked a grin. "Just sayin'!"

Michael didn't say a word, he just looked at Sam in such a way that made him squirm.

"Look, as long as you keep procrastinating, it isn't going to get any easier. You know she's going to say yes, so what's the big deal? Afraid she'll say yes?" He shook his head. "Why do you think marriage is gonna change anything? All it does is put a chunk of metal on your finger to signal to the world you're off the market and that you're committed to one person for the rest of your life. That's not so bad, is it? It's not like you play the field anyway!"

"That's the part that's so scary."

"Ah, the forever after part. Yeah, well, when you're in the middle of it every day, you'll wonder what you were stressing about. Trust me. Come on, cross over to the other side, Mikey. It's great!" He laughed and slapped his upper arm playfully. Then he turned sober. "Mike, if you don't pull the trigger, you're gonna regret it for the rest of your life."

"I think our contact is here." Michael said as he watched a well dressed man walking toward them on the sidewalk. His eyes roved all around him as he moved, watchful for something. In his hand he carried a metal case. When he met Michael's gaze, he nodded slightly and picked up his pace. "Yep, that's our guy. Miguel Valenzuela."

"Miguel Valenzuela. Mike, you didn't tell me we were helping a Cuban mob boss." Suddenly, a sick feeling settled into Sam's stomach. It could have been that revelation, or the sight of a car picking up speed farther down the street. It could be nothing, and yet, it might be a hit. In their line of work, one could never tell. He casually slipped his hand behind his back, preparing for what might come.

It was all over in a few seconds. The car raced up the street, and as Miguel met Michael and Sam, he turned at the sound of a racing engine. Two men leaned out the passenger windows and aimed automatics, and a hail of bullets came at them. Sam's handgun was no match for the strafing. People screamed and ran for cover. Michael drew his own handgun and fired back until two slugs hit him and sent him sprawling onto the pavement.

"Mikey!"

His head hit the pavement hard, and it jarred his teeth. He looked up at Sam, and the last thing he saw was his friend falling beside him, a fountain of blood spurting from him as he crashed to the concrete.

_No, this can't be happening! What will Sam's family do without him?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Sam opened his eyes, he saw blue sky overhead dotted with big puffy clouds driven by a slight breeze. The peacefulness of it belied the scene around him, which was punctuated by an air of hsyteria and lots of voices colliding into one big mess. He turned his head to the left and saw the sidewalk was stained red. Miguel Valenzuela lay unmoving, his face aimed toward the beautiful sky that his eyes would never see again. He sensed Michael's body touching his, so he turned to the right to assess the situation. Two holes in Michael's chest bled profusely. A man in swimming trunks got down on his bare knees and pressed a beach towel against the wounds.

Carefully, he rolled to his side toward Michael. "Hey man, you better lie flat until the paramedics get here," swimming trunks guy urged him.

"Mike. You've gotta hang in there, buddy." Sam pressed two fingers into Michael's carotid artery and felt a thready pulse there. "How much longer before they get here?"

"I don't know. Someone called for help right after this happened. That was a few minutes ago." He paused. "I was over on the beach with my girlfriend when we heard the shots. What were those guys thinking?"

"They didn't care about collateral damage," Sam replied as he shifted to his stomach and pressed his hand over one of the wounds while the guy took care of the other.

"Are you okay, man?"

"I'm fine."

"Looks like you got shot in the leg."

Sam shrugged. "Not like that's never happened before." He was too concerned about Michael at the moment to care about himself. As a matter of fact, until he glanced down at his leg, he had no idea he'd been hit.

"I don't even wanna know what you guys are into if getting shot is like an everyday occurrence to you!"

Sirens could be heard in the distance. "Yeah, you're probably better off not knowing. Let's just say it's mostly legal." He was starting to feel a little light-headed, but he just held on and didn't let go until professional help arrived and they told him to let up.

"Thanks," the paramedic said as he took over.

"No problem," Sam and swim trunks chorused. Sam felt hands grabbing him, picking him up to move him away from Michael so they could work on him more easily. They lay him down exactly as they found him and he watched the flurry around his friend. "Hang in there, Mike. Oh God, help him." His head felt as if it weighed a ton, so he let it drop to his forearm which he noted, as he closed his eyes, was covered in blood. Whether it was Mike's or his, he had no idea.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"

"He was conscious just seconds ago. Let's roll him and check his injuries."

Sam felt like he was floating. He could hear everything they said but he couldn't respond. Whatever happened to him, it didn't hurt much, just a dull burning sensation in his leg and arm. They moved him onto his back and he felt hands pulling at his clothing. By the amount of activity and the comments they made, they couldn't tell where the blood ended and the wounds began. It would be so good to just surrender to the sleepiness trying to take over his mind, but he was too curious to know what was wrong with him. Why did they sound so concerned?

"He's one lucky guy. One more inch and that shot would have severed an artery."

"He's still bleeding a lot. Let's get this bound up, put a line in and transport him."

"The arm isn't so bad, just lost a good chunk of tissue when the bullet scraped him. I'm tellin' ya, this guy must have one heck of a guardian angel!"

The first wave of real pain hit when they bound up his leg to stop the bleeding. Thankfully, his mind chose that moment to shut down, and he entered the oblivious state of unconsciousness. When he awoke again, it was hours later. He lay in a hospital bed in a dimly lit room. The curtains were open and pitch blackness greeted him from beyond the tinted glass. His eyelids felt heavy and he fought to keep them open. He expected to see his family there, at the very least, Yvette, but he was alone. Maybe this was all a really bad dream and he was dead. But that wouldn't be a dream, or even a nightmare, because dead people can't have either. Just thinking all that made his head hurt. He closed his eyes again since there wasn't much to look at anyway. He listened to the sound of his raspy breath and the beep of the heart monitor. Then he glanced at the readings, not that they made any sense to him, and once again darkness claimed his exhausted body.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The next time Sam awoke, it was to the soft touch of a hand in his. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know who the hand belonged to, but he opened them anyway, because he wanted to see his beautiful wife and let her know he was okay. Her blue eyes were full of worry, but she smiled when he turned his head to look at her.

"Sam, you had me so scared," she whispered.

"It's okay. I'm fine. It probably looks worse than it is."

"I don't care how it looks. You've been out of it for five days! The bullets may not have taken you, but the infection afterwards nearly did you in." She caressed his face with her free hand. "Please, don't do this to me again! If you have to quit working with Michael, then so be it. I don't know how much more of this I can take!" She leaned over him and he pulled her head down to rest on his chest.

"Honey, you know we've had dozens of cases and not all of them wind up with us getting hurt," Sam tried to reason with her. "How is Mike, anyway?"

"He's doing better than the doctors expected. At least he didn't have any issues with infection. They got him here in a timely manner and the blood loss wasn't as bad as the last time he was shot in the chest."

"So he's going to make it?"

"Yes," she smiled and raised her head. "He's going to make it. The man you were meeting, however..."

"I know, he's dead." Sam threw his arm over his head and let out a deep breath. "When Mike told me who he was, I knew we were gonna have trouble."

"When Mrs. Cortez heard about what happened to you..."

"What." He raised his head off the pillows and stared at her. "Eve, what happened?" When she didn't answer, he gripped her hand tighter as he watched the emotions play across her face.

"She came to the house and suggested that it would be best for Esperanza to go back to the agency with her."

The blood drained from his face. "You didn't let her take her, did you?"

"Sam, I had no choice! She had something written up, orders from her supervisor or something." Yvette cried, her sobs wracking her body. "I'm afraid we're never going to see her again. Sam, I love that little girl as if she were ours, but I don't know what to do! I called that Melody...Marlene...

"Melanie," Sam helped her.

"Yeah, whatever her name is. I called her and literally begged her to bring Espie back, but she said I was under too much stress at the time and I needed to concentrate on getting my husband back to health. Then maybe they would consider it." She wept some more as Sam ran his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to comfort her. He didn't speak, just let her get it out of her system. Finally, she sniffled and a small smile broke out on her face. "One thing she did say that gives me a little hope."

"What's that?"

"She said that Espie has been crying for her 'Mama', and she's not talking about her biological mother. She's talking about me! Melanie questioned her about it, and Espie specifically told her she missed me. In English, at that." She sniffled again and ran a tissue across her nose. "And she misses her daddy." A little laugh came out of her.

"How do you know she isn't talking about her parents?"

"When Mrs. Cortez came to the house to pick up Espie, she asked her to pack her things. Espie went into the laundry room to get her dirty clothes. I mean, she took everything." Yvette paused and another hint of laughter bubbled up from her chest. "Melanie told me they found one of your shirts hidden under her pillow at the agency home where she's being kept for the time being. When questioned about it, she said it belonged to her daddy, and she hugged it to herself. Ever since they called her out on it, she's been wearing it over her clothes. And she took a couple of my hair bands and has been wearing them too. I don't know how she got her hands on my stuff, but she must have picked your shirt out of the laundry that I hadn't washed yet."

"Wow, I guess we made an impact on her, huh?"

Yvette nodded. "I would bet she loves us as much as we love her. I don't know what to do, but we can't let them take her away from us, Sam!"

"First thing when I get out of here, we'll do everything we can. If we have to get a lawyer to help, we'll do it. She's not staying there any longer than necessary. She needs us."

"I knew you'd say that." Yvette smiled. "Samuel has been looking into that for us."

Sam frowned. "Weren't he and Maddie going on a cruise for Christmas? If I've been here five days," he quickly did the math in his head. "They should have left yesterday."

"I know. There was no question in his mind, he wasn't going anywhere until you and Michael were out of the woods. Maddie would have strangled him if he tried, not that she had to worry about him." Yvette sat up straight on the side of the bed, her hip touching Sam's, and her hands holding his between them. "He volunteered to do what he could to help our situation. I didn't even have to ask, he just brought it up and Maddie supported him all the way."

He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "What about Fi? How's she doing through all this?"  
>"She's barely left Michael's side." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you know Michael was going to propose to her?"<p>

Sam stopped his massaging and opened his eyes. "How'd you know about that?"

Yvette's smile grew. "Fiona found the ring. Apparently she knows all of Michael's usual hiding places, but this was a new one. She just stumbled upon it while looking for something else."  
>"Aw man, Mike is gonna be really upset when he finds out. He was going to make it a really nice, romantic occasion. I know it."<p>

"Well, she'll just have to act really surprised then," Yvette said with a small giggle.

"For both their sakes, I hope he can do it soon. I mean, if Fi decides this was one close shave too many, she might decide to leave him."

"Hardly. You haven't seen her haunting his bedside. She's a woman deeply in love, and she's not going to let a tragic turn of events change her mind."

"Like somebody else I know." He lifted off the pillows and kissed her lips. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For sticking with me, even through acts of stupidity. I should have gone for cover when I saw that car coming."

With a teasing twinkle in her eye, she said, "I'll forgive you this time, but next time who knows?" She reached out, slipped a hand underneath his neck and moved forward as he raised up again. Their lips met, and she kissed him tenderly. When they parted, he was a little breathless, which brought a smile to her face.

"You better save that for when I get home, sweetheart." He gave her a smile that hinted at his desire.

"Just an incentive for you to hurry up and get to where you can go home. Christmas is only a few days away. It would make a great homecoming for you, and Espie, to be there."

"You got it. I just hope my dad can help to make it happen."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Samuel Axe parked in the lot next to the imposing building in downtown Miami. While it didn't have the height of one of the newer skyscrapers nearby, it made up for it in the old brick facade and marble columns. Just looking up at their majesty towering to the fourth floor, the objective of his mission, caused a lump to form in his throat. But Samuel had been a SEAL. He took down bigger guys than Mrs. Linda Cortez and her supervisor, Melanie Clifton, combined. Sure, a lot of time had passed and he wasn't much in shape anymore, but he was prepared. He shifted the envelope and a tablet PC in his hand, pressed them close to his side at chest level, and trotted smartly up the granite steps. It took little effort to find the offices on the fourth floor, and fortunately, Cortez's supervisor was expecting him.

Melanie Clifton was an older woman around his age. Her warm brown eyes crinkled at the edges even when she didn't smile, which was often during the beginning of their conversation. It would have been so easy to be disarmed by her, but Samuel guarded himself. He knew from the way Cortez turned on his son and Yvette, these people were not to be trusted.

She beckoned for him to sit in a comfortable chair facing her desk, and instead of getting behind it, she sat in the matching chair, crossed her legs to the side, and her hands folded over one knee. "Mr. Axe, I have to say I was quite surprised when you called on your son's behalf. It's not often that we have foster parents with advocates."

"Well, I couldn't very well sit by and let my son's unfortunate circumstances cause his family to be ripped apart by the state."

"Esperanza is not part of his family. She's a ward of the state, Mr. Axe."

"Not in our eyes. To Sam and Yvette, she's as good as flesh and blood. I know you probably thought you meant well by taking her out of their home, but all you did was make things worse."

Melanie's brow crinkled. "I don't understand."

"Taking Espie away caused Yvette more anxiety, something she didn't need. It took five days for my son to fight back to consciousness, and I really believe that if his daughter had been there to talk to him, he might have rallied out of his delirium and made a quicker recovery."

"Mr. Axe, that's just speculation..."

He interrupted her, his voice rising with anger. "And do you really think you're helping that poor child by taking her away from a family that she's come to love, no, not just love, but adore...you take her away and put her in a warehouse of children until you can find a more 'suitable' home for her." He put hand quotations around the word. "She was in a suitable home! Are you people that blind, or have you let your preconceived notions and bigotry get in the way so you can't see the truth?"

"Mr. Axe." Melanie's tone remained calm, but there was a warning in it.

Samuel didn't care. "Don't kid yourself, Ms. Clifton. Linda Cortez was biased from the get-go because she's Hispanic and so is Espie. She didn't want her in my son's home, and not because of the guns or any kind of danger. She was discriminating against them, plain and simple!" He raised a finger and pointed it at her. "And you...you let her get away with it, at the expense of a child's happiness." He stopped himself short of a snarl. It took every last bit of discipline to keep himself from going over the edge. "You people can't stand the idea that someone fell in love with that adorable little girl, and they happen to be white."

Melanie sat before him stone faced. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Axe, but I assure you that I was the one who recommended that Esperanza be placed into the Axe household. I have no bias against them. We just felt that with her original parents dying, this incident would be too harrowing for her to go through. And if this becomes a common practice for Mr. Axe, I don't believe that consistent trauma is something any child should endure."

"This isn't 'common practice', Ms. Clifton. It was just an unfortunate situation. Sam and his friend Michael have dealt with perhaps a hundred or more cases in the past six years or so. Very few of them result in something like this."

"The thing that concerns me is that you son can't even go to the bank without stumbling into danger. And let's not forget about his son's kidnapping. Mr. Axe has spent a fair amount of time injured in the past year, has he not?"

"Is it any different than anyone else who has a string of bad luck? He's still alive, and the doctor said he could be out any day now. Granted, he'll need some physical therapy because of the leg injury, but he's going to be fine." Samuel placed a hand on the envelope in his lap, slipped it to the opening, and pulled out a small stack of 8 x 10 photographs. "Ms. Clifton, I want you to take a look at these, and if you can tell me that this child isn't happy, I'll be willing to bow to your decision. Otherwise, you owe it to her, to give Espie her family back."

One by one he held up the photographs in front of Melanie. She reached out and plucked them from his hand, studying them intently. The first picture was taken shortly after she arrived at the Axe home. There was still a hint of hesitancy in her eyes, but she seemed happy enough playing with little Samuel in the sand box. The next picture showed her on a swing, with Sam holding onto the seat and grinning behind her. In the baby swing beside her, Samuel laughed and Yvette pushed him from behind.

"I took most of these pictures. Take a good look, Ms. Clifton. There's love in every one of them."

The next picture was a closeup of Yvette, Sam, and Esperanza locked in a hug. Their eyes were bright and smiling along with their faces. Another picture showed Sam tossing Esperanza up in the air. Her hair flew up and out every which way, and the look of sheer excitement on her face caused Melanie to swallow back a lump in her throat.

"I've got some video on my tablet PC if you want to see it. It's right here." He tapped the side of the computer on his lap.

"No, Mr. Axe. That's not necessary." She flipped through the rest of the photographs and her heart tugged at the sight of a normal family that peered out from them. This was something Esperanza needed, and God had sought fit to use her to put the girl in their home. It became crystal clear that she was going against what should be. But she could change things, starting now. She was about to put her job on the line for something she believed in. It had been a long time since she'd done that. Far too long.

Melanie dropped the photos in her lap, put her face in her hands, and rubbed away a headache forming between her eyes. "Mr. Axe, I'm willing to give your son and his wife another chance. However, if something traumatic happens again in the next six months, I'll have no choice but to take a good look at the situation, and...perhaps...reconsider her placement." A small smile flitted across her lips. "But I hope that by that time, it will be too late, and that she'll be firmly entrenched in their home. Or adopted."

Samuel grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you, Ms. Clifton. You won't be sorry!" He sobered. "Now, about that Mrs. Cortez..."

"We're reviewing her handling of this case, and the things you said will be taken under consideration. I believe you have some valid points, that she was being biased based on race. We try to be color blind when it comes to placing children, especially when so many of them are minorities and so many of the people fostering are white." She paused and offered him a small smile. "Mrs. Cortez will probably be assigned to an administrative position for awhile until she has been more effectively trained."  
>"Thank you, Ms. Clifton."<p>

"You're welcome, Mr. Axe. We'll be assigning a new social worker to the case. She'll be in touch with the Axes very soon."

"So when can they bring Esperanza home?"

"When is Mr. Axe supposed to be released from the hospital?"

"Tomorrow, I think."

"Fine. Let's give him a day or so home before Esperanza goes back. It might be a bit much for him to handle."

Samuel chuckled. "You don't get it, do you, Ms. Clifton? Sammy adores Espie. Having her around could be the best medicine for him."

A hint of a smile appeared on her face. "Alright, the day after tomorrow, the new caseworker will escort her to the Axe home."

"Thank you very much, Ms. Clifton. I guess you're not so bad after all." He stood, took the photographs from her and winked.

"I'm only trying to do my job within the parameters of the state laws. I'm afraid sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we're dealing with fragile lives and not just cases. In our effort to protect them from harm, we're sometimes clouded by the rules. I'm sorry for that, Mr. Axe. Espie never should have been taken away."

"I'm glad you agree." He shook her hand and left the office with a grin on his face. As he left the building, he pulled out his cell phone. "Hey honey, guess what? Mission accomplished! Espie is coming home, day after tomorrow!"

Maddie's voice cried out in joy on the other side of the connection. "Yes! I knew you could do it, Samuel!"

"I must have had a little help from above, Maddie, because I really didn't think I'd get through to that woman."

"Well, however it happened, let's just be thankful. And I have to get busy baking a cake!"

"Okay, see you in a bit, sweetie. I'm going to stop over at the hospital to let Sam and Yvette know."

"Sounds good. See you soon."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Before Sam left the hospital, he stopped the orderly. "Woah, woah, woah, buddy."

"Something wrong, Sir?"

"Before I blow this joint, I wanna go see my buddy Mike."

The orderly glanced at Yvette, who said, "Just indulge him. If you don't, I'll have to listen to him complain all the way home, and I don't really want to have to do that." She smiled at him sweetly. Being charming worked for Sam all the time, and she was fast learning that she could play the same game.

"Okay, I suppose it doesn't matter if we take a detour." He wheeled Sam into the room where Michael was conscious, and Fiona sat by his side talking with him. "I'll come back in, oh, a half hour or so?"

"Sure, take your time," Sam replied and waved a hand to dismiss him. He grabbed the wheels and pulled himself closer to the bed. "Hey, Mikey, how's it going?"

"I'm doing good, Sam. Sorry you got caught in the crossfire. I was really hoping something like that wouldn't happen."

"Yeah, well, it's probably better that we didn't meet him at Carlito's. The body count would have been higher." Not to mention the fact that his father was working at the time and he could have been put in danger as well.

"Very true. I heard you had a rough time of it."

"It was just one of those things, Mike. It happened, it's over, and we'll heal." He smiled. "Besides, none of that matters right now. Tomorrow they're bringing Esperanza back home."

Michael smiled and closed his eyes. "That's great news, Sam!" He opened his eyes again and looked at his friend. "I'm hoping to get out of here in a few days myself, just in time for Christmas. Ma is insisting that I stay with her and Samuel. Fi's welcome too." He glanced at Fiona who smiled like she had a secret she couldn't wait to tell.

"This is going to be one interesting holiday," she sighed as she dramatically placed her left hand against Michael's cheek and caressed it. As she did so, the diamond on her hand sparkled in the sunlight coming through the blinds.

Sam chuckled. "Mike, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"You proposed to her...in here?"

"Well, she pretty much let the cat out of the bag by stumbling upon the ring where I hid it." Michael replied with a sheepish smile. "And then she had the nerve to bring it here, kick me awake, and demand to know what I intended to do with that piece of hardware."

"I didn't kick you, I tapped you with my foot." She sniffed.

"No, you've made that move a couple times before, I know what it was." He laughed. "So anyway, I finally did it, Sam. I pulled the trigger."

"And it's about freakin' time too, man!" He glanced at Fi. "I've been on him for months, no, the past year at least, to make an honest woman out of you. Although, I don't know if a wedding is enough to do that."

"Sam," she growled at him and raised a hand in the air. If he were closer, she would have smacked the teasing look off his face. Instead, she restrained herself and settled on the bed next to Michael. "I suppose that was a backhanded congratulations, so I'll take it at that. Thank you."

"When's the date?"

"We haven't set up anything yet. I think it'll be soon though. Less chance of me second-guessing myself that way," Michael replied with a wink.

"Oh no, brother, you try that and we'll kidnap you, take you off to some romantic location and get you two hitched right then and there. You don't stand a chance!"

"I guess you're not all bad, Sam. I like the way you're thinking," Fiona said with a smirk.

"Love you too, Fi."

The conversation continued, hashing out plans for Christmas as if it were another one of their operations. For Christmas Eve, everyone would spend time with their immediate families. But on Christmas Day, they would be at Maddie's. The orderly came back about the time that all the excitement and talk was wearing on Sam. He hadn't been vertical so long in awhile, and he was beginning to tire. When he arrived home with Yvette, Samuel and Maddie were waiting with little Samuel. They heard the car and came out of the house to welcome him home.

"Hey, Son! You look like you could use a little help," Samuel said as he came around to the passenger side and noted that Sam sat with his feet out of the car but hunched over. "Feeling a little sick?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"They probably gave you the same pain meds I had at the hospital. Soon as I got home I tossed the scrip and gutted it out. You should too. You'll feel a whole lot better once you just suck it up and take the pain for a little while." He came forward, draped Sam's arm over his shoulder, and helped him stand. All the way to the house and up the stairs, which in itself was a long journey with his sore leg, Samuel held onto him around the waist and kept Sam's arm from falling off his shoulders.

When they reached the bedroom, Samuel carefully let him drop to the bed. With a deep groan, Sam fell back and covered his eyes with an arm.

"Come on, Sammy. I've got these pillows arranged, why don't you swing around and lay up against them."

Sam obeyed. He was too wiped out to protest, too exhausted to move any more than that, and grateful for his father's care. He pressed himself into the pillows and let out a breath. "Dad, I'm so glad you're here. A year ago I never would have said that, but now, funny how time changes things, huh?"

"You're right, Son. A year ago, the first time you laid eyes on me I thought you were either going to punch me or pick me up by the scruff of the neck and toss me out the front door." He chuckled. "Glad that never happened." As he spoke, he swung Sam's legs up on the bed and stripped off his pants, then covered him with the blanket and duvet. "Your mother knew what she was doing when she urged me to find you. She's the one who gave me your address. You know that?" He worked on freeing Sam from his shirt.

"No, I had no idea how you found us." He winced when the light fabric raked against his bandaged arm. "Here I thought it was just good detective work."

"Nope, it was all Ginny's doing. Shortly after she sent you that package, she contacted me. I'd been to see her, made my peace, and she loved us both enough to make sure that we got back together." He closed his eyes and shook his head to will away the surge of emotion. "She was a real good woman. She deserved better than me."

"But you've learned from the mistakes of the past, Dad." Sam's voice was barely above a whisper. He was too exhausted to do any more. "And because of it, everything is new."

"Yes it is, Son. I can't imagine ever going back. It would waste the miracle. Not that I'd want to..." He trailed off, hearing Sam's soft, even breathing. With a wistful smile, he smoothed the hair cascading over his son's forehead, got up and put a fatherly kiss there, and left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Sammy, you should be in bed."

"Dad, I'm not gonna let that woman see me laid up. Besides, I want to see Espie while I'm upright. So if you'll just help me downstairs, you and Maddie can be on your way."

Samuel sighed deeply and stood with hands on hips, shaking his head. "You're terrible. You're just like me."

"Yeah, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, Dad. So, are you gonna just whine about it or help me? If not, I'll make it down by myself. I need to learn to do that anyway."

"No, I'll help. But if you get tired later, just camp out on the sofa for awhile."

"I intend to. I just have to hold out until Espie comes home. I don't want to give that social worker a reason to regret bringing her back."

Samuel got him downstairs, and Sam used the newly issued crutches to get himself over to a chair in the living room where he waited for his nemesis to show up with Esperanza. He didn't know that Mrs. Cortez was off their case, so when a slim blonde woman approached the house with Esperanza, he was taken off guard.

"Hi, I'm Irina Dimitriov, your new caseworker." She greeted Yvette in a slight Russian accent with a smile and a warm handshake when Yvette let her inside. "Espie, come on in, sweetheart."

Esperanza took a tentative step forward. She held her little suitcase in her hands before her, the rag doll's neck in a chokehold, encircled by her fingers holding onto the handle. As she looked up at Yvette, the scared look in her eyes dissipated like the clouds after a summer shower, and she grinned, dropped the case, and exclaimed, "Mama!" She launched herself into Yvette's arms, and both mother and daughter cried. Yvette fell to her knees, hanging onto her tightly.

"Espie...my dear Espie...It's so good to h-have you h-home."

Irina watched from the doorway, her eyes filled with tears and a bright smile on her face. She blinked and noticed Sam sitting in the chair, and she wondered why he didn't get up. Then she remembered that Ms. Clifton said he'd been injured, and she saw a pair of crutches lying on the floor. Samuel stood at his father's side watching the emotional reunion, his little body straining to surge forward, but some kind of caution held him back.

"Daddy," Esperanza said as she looked toward Sam.

"Espie, I'm sorry..." He never got the chance to finish apologizing for not going to her.

With a squeal of happiness, Esperanza pushed out of Yvette's arms and crossed the room. Sam's shirt fluttered behind her as she plowed into him in the chair. He had to stop her momentum or risk having them both go over backwards.

"Oh Daddy, I missed you!" Her arms clung to his neck as if she were welded onto him. "You and Mama. Don't make me go away."  
>"Oh baby, we never want you to go away. Those people with the state did that. But I promise you, we won't let it happen again." She looked at him strangely, not quite understanding everything he said. "It's okay. You're home for good. Forever." He kissed her cheek and she burrowed into him again. As he ran his hand over her back, he felt the softness of his shirt, smiled, and held her tighter.<p>

"No matter what we tried, she refused to stop wearing that shirt," Irina said with a disarming smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Axe, I haven't been doing this job for very long, but I can tell you one thing: I have never seen a child take to a family so quickly as Esperanza did to you. But it doesn't really surprise me. She's got a big heart, and I'm glad she found a home so quickly. Living at the children's center would not have done her any good."

Yvette stood and smiled at Irina. "Thank you, Miss Dimitriov."

"Please, call me Irina," she spoke softly, clearly moved by what she'd seen. "I have to get going, but I will either see you next week or speak with you on the phone. If anything comes up, you just let me know, okay?" She handed Yvette her card. As she gave Sam and Esperanza one last look, Yvette spied a little envy in her eyes. It made her wonder what kind of childhood she had, as she seemed to have a lot more empathy for Esperanza's situation than Mrs. Cortez. "Good bye, Espie. You be a good girl, okay?"

Esperanza ignored her, but Sam whispered something in her ear, and she turned her head long enough to wave. Then she returned to her father's attentions. Irina left, and eventually, things had to go back to normal. Yvette retreated to the kitchen to make supper, while Sam laid out on the couch for a nap, and Esperanza took it upon herself to go unpack. As he lay on the couch, Sam drifted off to sleep hearing her high pitched voice singing a song in Spanish at the top of her lungs. He didn't bother to try and translate. No matter what it said, one thing was certain: she was ecstatic to be home.

"Mama, can Sammy and I go to play in the sand box?"

Yvette turned from the cupboard in surprise. That was the first time Esperanza spoke in anything but halting English. "Yes, you may, honey. Just make sure he doesn't eat any sand, okay?"

Esperanza giggled. "He's so silly!" She took his hand and led him toward the back door.

Before she got there, Yvette asked, "Did they teach you more English at the center?"

"No. I listen. They think I don't know what they say." She giggled again. "They silly people." Then she turned and led Samuel out the door.

"Hmm. Silly must be the word of the day." Yvette laughed under her breath and returned to work. She thought back to when they taught her the building blocks of the language. Every day they had a new word of the day. She would have to think of a good one for tomorrow. Like miracle.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

With all the nursing back to health and getting back to normal, Christmas preparations fell to the wayside at the Axe household. They had no tree up, but Yvette found a little time to arrange an elaborate nativity set she found at an after Christmas sale the year before. She placed it in the dining room on the long shelf created by glass paned cabinets under the windows. As she unwrapped the figurines, Samuel and Espie watched.

Samuel couldn't see very well from the floor, so he whimpered and said, "Up. Mama up."

Yvette turned, smiled at him, and said, "Okay, honey. You just sit here and be a good boy. Mommy's almost done." She set him on the top of the cabinet, and he began to swing his feet. His heel cracked against a glass pane. She gasped and grabbed his foot. "Don't do that sweetie. Put your feet up there, and just sit. Okay?"

She heard Sam slowly making his way down the stairs. After doing it a few times the past couple of days, he was getting good at it. He tried moving around without the crutches, but every time, she had to give him the Mommy eye to keep him in line. _Men! They're worse than kids sometimes!_ She stifled a snicker and went back to work setting up the scene.

"Mama, it's so pretty," Espie breathed as she picked up a wrapped figurine and revealed the face of Mary.

"That's Mary, baby Jesus's mommy," Yvette told her. "Do you know who Jesus is, sweetie?"

Espie shook her head vigorously. Yvette sighed, glad she bought a children's bible a few weeks ago. It was easy enough for Esperanza to understand if it was read to her. She suddenly realized that in all the hustle and bustle of the past few weeks, they'd fallen out of habit of reading every night. They started with Samuel, but the initial language barrier made the practice nearly impossible with Esperanza. She smiled. It was time to bring it back.

A sound at the back door got her attention. Sam was in the kitchen and said, "I've got it!" They heard sounds of shuffling and thumping, and Sam exclaimed, "Woah! Careful there! You almost took out that light!"

Yvette glanced at Samuel and Espie, a puzzled expression on her face. "Now, what could Daddy be up to in there? Let's go see!" She picked up Samuel and set him down on the floor, and he took off running for the kitchen. Yvette and Esperanza followed at a slower pace. As it was, the slow method worked better, because if she had moved fast, she would have gotten a face full of prickly evergreen. She cried out in surprise and jumped back.

"What the heck is this?"

"Merry Christmas, darlin'." Samuel Sr.'s voice piped up from behind the tree. "Maddie and I brought you a little surprise!"

"I'll say! Espie, look out. Grandpa is coming through with a Christmas tree!" She closed her eyes and took in the heady scent. "I love that smell."

"It's fresh cut, too. Maddie and I were up in Orlando, doing some last minute shopping, and we found a cut your own tree farm on the way." He set the tree trunk down into a stand he brought along. "So on the trip back, we stopped. Hey, can you get down there and tighten this thing up for me, Yvette?"

"Sure, Dad." Once it was set, it was time to decorate.

Yvette and Maddie hung the lights and ornaments that Samuel dragged down from storage in the garage. Esperanza helped with the lower branches, taking her time arranging each shiny bauble as if she were creating a piece of art. When it was finished, they sat around the tree with the room lights off and admired it.

"It's a perfect tree. Thanks, Dad."

Samuel put an arm around his son. "You're welcome, Sammy. We just wanted to make sure that Espie's first Christmas here was a really good one."

"It still would have been without the tree...but this...this just makes it...shine," Yvette spoke, emotion choking her voice.

"Mama, it's pretty. Like stars."

"Yes it is, Espie. That's what the lights are for, to remind us of the star that came out when Jesus was born." Espie looked at her strangely, and Yvette smiled. "We'll read about that tonight before you and Samuel go to bed. Okay?" She nodded.

"Up mama, up!"

Yvette laughed and picked up Samuel, setting him in her lap, and said, "I think that's Samuel's phrase of the day." She snuggled him close, and he curled into her as he sucked his thumb. His little eyes kept closing, but he fought to keep them open. "Uhoh, looks like someone is getting ready for bed time."

"Nooooo," he protested around his thumb.

"Yeeeeeeees," she replied and giggled. "I guess I better get out that children's bible and read to them now before he nods off completely."

"Oh, I'll get it for you," Maddie volunteered. "Where is it?"

"It's in the office, in the bookshelf. Can't miss it, it's with all the other children's books on the bottom shelf."

"You've got quite the collection of books for the kids in here!"

"A legacy from my parents. They taught me to enjoy books."

Maddie quickly returned and found Yvette softly rocking Samuel in her lap. Espie sat on Sam's good thigh, being careful not to bang against the injured one. He kissed the top of her head and smoothed her hair as she curled into him. Samuel Sr. sat nearby taking in the view with misty eyes. Maddie found her own view blurring as she crossed the dining room and sat in her seat in the living room. In all Michael and Nate's growing up years, they'd never had such a peaceful holiday. The love in the house was so thick, Maddie felt like she could reach out and touch it, and it warmed her to the core despite the chilly night. She could hardly wait to spend Christmas Day with Michael and Fi and Sam's little family and get more of the love.

She opened the hard bound book and found the story of baby Jesus, and she began to read in a soft voice. As she did, she watched the children. Samuel fell asleep quickly, but Esperanza hung onto every word as she rested in her daddy's arms. Sam dropped his chin on her head and closed his eyes, and a smile that conveyed his contentment radiated across the room. She found it hard to continue without choking on the words, but she swallowed and forged ahead.

Christmas Eve would prove to be one of the longest days of Maddie's life. She wanted to see the kids, but they would see them the next day. Samuel took a shift for someone who would rather spend the evening with their family, so Maddie was all alone. In the end it got too stifling in the house, so she drove to Carlito's to spend the rest of Samuel's shift at the bar with him.

The large glassed doors were closed against the chill outside, and Maddie shivered a little as she entered the nearly empty cantina. A couple snuggled in the corner on a sofa, but not long after she arrived, they left. At the bar, a woman sat alone on one end, and on the other, a man. There were no other patrons.

"Hi sweetheart, didn't expect you to come walking into this place," Samuel said with a smile and a wink. "You're lookin' mighty fine tonight, Mrs. Axe."

Maddie laughed and grinned. She loved it when he called her that. "And you're not looking too bad yourself, Sexy." She settled herself into her seat, her smile bright enough to light up the room, but it dissipated when she glanced at the young man at the end of the bar. She leaned forward and whispered, "What's with him?"

Samuel shrugged. "It's Christmas Eve, he's probably single. I think you're smart enough to figure it out."

Maddie nodded. If she'd been the bar crawling type, she probably would have spent a lot of Christmases in a place like this. But Frank's alcoholism and abuse stopped her from ever becoming a barfly. She pitied the man. At least the woman on the other end was looking at him, while he sat lost in his own world. As the evening wore on and Maddie and Samuel talked about the coming day, out of the corners of her eyes, she watched the two people.

"I wish you could close up, Samuel. The kitchen closed early, didn't it?"

"Yeah." He leaned closer. "I'm the only one here to man the place."

"Well then, why don't you send these two on their way and lock up? It's not like they're buying any more drinks."

Samuel glanced at the two. The woman stirred the straw in her watered down drink, and the man stared at his empty beer bottle. It had been like that for an hour.

"I don't know, Maddie. If I close up, where's he gonna go? He looks like he needs a friend or something."

"So does she. She's just too shy to go over there and talk to him." Maddie grinned. "I have an idea." She sat up straight and asked Samuel, "Hey, do you have any cards back there, or some dice?"

"Yeah," he answered, not sure what she had in mind.

"How about we play some cards? You, Miss. You wanna play?"

"Huh? Me?" She looked around and realized that she was the only one Maddie could have been speaking to.

Maddie answered cheerfully. "Yeah you, honey. Come on! Slide on over here and we'll play a few rounds." Her gaze bored into the young man, who listened to their exchange and was now looking at them with hope in his eyes. She beckoned him over and patted the stool beside her. "Yeah, come over here. We need a foursome!"

Before long, the four moved to a table. Samuel grabbed some leftovers from the refrigerator, heated them up, and they had their own little party playing poker and dice. The two younger people lost their sad faces and warmed up so that when they left, Maddie had no doubt they would be in a better frame of mind. The way they were giving each other the eye, she figured they were going home together. She didn't know how right she was.

They were all laughed out from listening to Samuel's funny stories of his life in the service. He glanced at his watch and said, "Oh wow, will you look at that? It's closing time!"

"Really? And we were having such fun," the woman said as her eyes sparkled and she gave the man across the table a ravenous look.

"I, uh, I guess we need to go, huh Diane?"

"Diane?" Maddie never did catch their names. They all just got together and started socializing and playing games.

"Yeah, Aaron. I suppose we need to get home."  
>"What..." Maddie glanced from one to another. Samuel had already left the table with the remnants of their party, so he didn't hear the exchange. "You two know each other?"<p>

"Yeah," Aaron replied with a dreamy look at the woman sitting across from him. "Diane and I are married."

"Newlyweds, actually." She took one last sip of her drink. "We had a really big fight yesterday and he left. I had no idea where he went, but I was lonely, and I came in here, and imagine my surprise when I saw him at the other end of the bar."

"And you two never said a word the entire time?"

Diane shook her head. "I was trying to figure out how to chew him out for running off over something so stupid."

"It wasn't stupid, it means a lot to me."

"Well then maybe you need to tell her how important it is, whatever it is. And then you," she pointed at Diane, "have a little empathy. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give in a little. That's what happens in marriage. Believe me, honey, my first husband took and took, and the only thing he gave us was heartache. Don't make the same mistake."

Samuel watched from the swinging doors of the kitchen and beamed with pride at his wife. He chose well marrying her. She'd gone through some tough years, but she came out wiser in the end. So had he. Together, they were a formidable match. He couldn't wait to get home and tell her what he thought of her tonight.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Slogging through the jungles of Columbia with a fifty pound pack would have been easier than wading through the chaos that erupted on the living room floor on Christmas morning at Maddie and his dad's house. With his bad leg, Sam found it hard to get around until Yvette, Fiona, and Maddie had cleared the floor of wrapping paper and empty boxes. Esperanza lay sprawled in the mess, happily playing with her new toys. She was so inundated at first, she didn't understand that they were all for her, but she appeared to be adjusting quickly.

"You're a very lucky girl," Fiona said as she got down and made sure none of the little shoes and pieces of clothing for the Barbies got swept up with the trash. "Oh, I like that outfit! Michael, don't you think this would look good on me?" She held up the turquoise colored dress for his inspection.

"I think you'd have to lose a little weight, Fi, but yeah, that would look good on ya," Sam replied before Michael could answer.

Fiona huffed and ignored him, while Michael fought to keep from busting out in laughter. Ignoring them, Fiona gave Espie the outfit and returned to her job. The men sat around drinking coffee and talking, not bothering to lift a finger to help. She sighed, resigned that this was probably what American men did. Was it really too much to expect a little help? At least they all promised to clean up the kitchen later, after the women were done slaving over the turkey and other goodies. As she passed, Michael reached out and grabbed her hand, the one with the sparkling diamond on it.

"You'd look great in anything, Fi." He smiled, pulled her hand to his lips, and kissed it.

Her face lit up at the action, and she caressed his cheek. "Thank you, Michael," she whispered and walked away, her eyes still on him. She almost ran into little Samuel, who toddled around the house with a stuffed bear that Fiona had given him. It was dressed in shorts, flipflops, and a shirt that bore a remarkable resemblance to the one she gave Sam for Christmas.

When it was time to eat, they all gathered around the dining room table. As they prayed, Michael sent up a little extra thanks that Yvette and Fiona took over most of the cooking chores. After the amens went up, the table turned to chaos like the gift opening earlier.

"Hey Maddie, pass the salt."

"Can you put some olives on my plate, please?"

"You want some sweet potatoes, Espie? You'll love them, honey, really!"

"Oh Sammy, teddies don't eat mashed potatoes!"

"How about those Dolphins, eh?"

"Not funny, Dad."

"At least the Bears still suck."

"That's true!"

Laughter and good times filled Samuel and Maddie's home that day. Eventually, little Samuel fell asleep with his head on Sam's lap on the couch. A football game was on, so the men huddled around the television and watched. The women sat at the cleared table and talked.

"Espie, why don't you go get those hair thingys Aunt Fiona got you," Yvette suggested .

Esperanza nodded and quickly returned with a plastic case. Inside, Fiona packed it with colorful barrettes, hair bands, and dozens of other things a little girl would need for her hair. She handed Fiona the brush and smiled wide.

"Brush my hair, please?"

Fiona grinned. "Of course, Espie! Just turn around here, and I'll brush your hair."

"Do a real good job. I want to look pretty."

"You're already pretty," Fiona replied with a light laugh. "I'm going to try to make you stunning."

"Now Fi, she's got plenty of years to go before that," Yvette said with caution in her voice.

"Okay, as stunning as a six year old can get. Happy?"

"Absolutely."

"Just be thankful I didn't get her any makeup!" Fiona teased.

"I'd rather you got her a spy kit or something," Yvette teased right back.

"Now ladies, let's not go encouraging that. We have enough things blowing up around here without the kids getting involved!"

"Other than the guys yelling at the tv, I think it's pretty serene, actually." Yvette joked, and then she sighed heavily as she leaned into her hand. "Maddie, I don't know when I've had a better Christmas. I mean, last year was really good with all the Sams, but this beat it, hands down."

"I know what you mean, honey. We've been truly blessed over the past year." Maddie covered her hand with her own and squeezed it. "Now, maybe a year from now, if Michael ever gets things in gear, it'll be even better with another little one around."

"Oh, from your lips to God's ears, Madelyn." Fiona pressed her hands together and grinned.

"I second that! Who's ready for more coffee?" Yvette stood and headed for the kitchen. She refilled their cups and went into the living room to check on the guys. "Anybody need anything?"

"I'm good, darlin'."

"I could use another beer."

"Me too, hon."

"Okay, be right back." She glanced at Samuel sleeping on his father's lap despite all the noise and jostling. As she moved to the kitchen to return the coffee pot and get the fresh beers, she thanked God for all the little miracles they'd been given over the course of the year. And she hoped that the coming year would bring more blessings their way. She'd never experienced such a close family before, and it was selfish of her to want it to never end, but she had no doubt that everyone else in the house would agree.


End file.
